I Can't Remember Where I Put My......It Must Be Alzheimer's.  
by Dr. Root


 Remember hearing about "hardening of the arteries" as a cause of forgetfulness just a few years ago?
When I was growing up and even when I was in Nursing School in the 1970's, Alzheimer's Disease was a
poorly understood condition.  Although there is still a long way to go before we understand it well
enough to create a cure or, better yet, prevent it's onset, it's helpful to understand some basics of
memory, aging and brain function.  EVERYONE experiences memory lapses.  When young people do it no one
thinks much about it.  When older adults do it, it's jokingly called a "senior moment".  But when do we
actually need to have cause for concern?  There are some changes that can be considered normal aging.
The speed of learning slows and the ability to accurately pinpoint the source of your knowledge will
most likely decline.  So, there's more "where did I hear that?" going on.  In addition, you have to use
information regularly to retain it so don't be alarmed if you can't remember the name of someone you
haven't seen or spoken to for awhile. Also, I think we just feel like we've heard so many things before,
this is just another version of the same old stuff and don't log it in as new information.  There is
fairly good evidence to support the notion that if you keep your brain actively engaged in challenging
activities or seek out new knowledge, it slows the glide path to forgetfulness.  This relates to some of
the Optimal Aging advice that I referred you to last month and that can be found on the website
askdrroot.com 

There is a fairly new term on the horizon called Mild Cognitive Impairment.  It is more serious than
just forgetting where you put your keys but it's not yet to the point that your daily function is
severely impaired.  Family, friends and the individual involved may agree that there are noticeable gaps
in memory but judgment tends to remain intact.  So, decisions that are required for self care are
probably still adequate.  We are not certain, at this point, if this is a precursor to more sever
memory problems or an early phase of Alzheimer's Disease but in many individuals it seems to be so.
Alzheimer's Disease is a brain disease that is caused by the blocking of nerve transmission in the brain and leads to brain cell death.  It affects all aspects of memory and thinking although it may look a little different in each individual in terms of the loss of function and the timetable of decline.  Science is making some strides in brain research but nothing is available at this time that slows or stops the progress of the illness.  I recommend additional reading at the Alzheimer's Association website and there is also some good information at http://bfc.positscience.com/concerns/memory_lapses.php, as well as at www.psychcentral.com. There is no way to be 100% certain that Alzheimer's dementia is present without a brain autopsy.  Brain autopsies are very uncommon and difficult to obtain but a good physical exam and medical history aimed at pinpointing the cause of memory problems usually gives enough information to the doctor to make a diagnosis of possible or probably Alzheimer's with 85% to 90% accuracy. So don't panic just because you can't remember where you left your grocery list or have one of those "why did I come in here" experiences.  Just relax and go on about your business and time will tell the tale.