Despite Popular Beliefs Memory Does Not Decline with Age

Feeling forgetful? Don’t automatically blame your “aging brain.” A Baylor College of Medicine expert says that memory loss has relatively little to do with growing old.

“There is the assumption that memory fails when we get older when in fact, memory stays stable into old age,” said Anita Woods, M.D., a geriatrician at Baylor’s Huffington Center on Aging.

Woods adds that there are some normal changes in memory function expected as we age. The delayed recollection of names, for example, is not due to a deteriorating brain, but to a slowed down central nervous system and decreased cognitive energy.

Older brains have an incredible potential for regeneration and growth, she said. Just as the body needs to be conditioned to stay healthy, it is important to exercise your brain with mental activities to keep neurons firing at an old age.

“Meaningful mental activities, whether it’s doing a crossword puzzle or debating current events with loved ones or friends, keeps the mind active,” she said. “Also, a high level of social engagement is correlated with good memory performance in old age.”

When older individuals forget something, they often panic, and fear their minds are failing, she said. This self-perpetuating thinking increases anxiety, which inadvertently blocks memory. Woods advises seniors to relax when they have trouble remembering. She offers these tips to help keep a sharp memory:

• Attach meaning – Make what has to be remembered practical and relevant to your life. Studies show we better remember what is important to us.
• Pay attention – Because of decreased cognitive energy in the older years, you need to make a conscious effort to focus your attention on information you want to remember.
• Repeat names – Say names out loud when you meet someone new.
• Carry a notebook – Writing things down reinforces them in your mind and reduces the fear that you might not be able to recall information.
• Admit you’ve forgotten – If you cannot remember someone’s name, say so. Be polite and reintroduce yourself, asking for the name again.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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