Question

How do we tell the difference between normal and abnormal memory changes? What is the process for recognizing Alzheimer’s disease? What are some strategies you could recommend to bolster memory self-efficacy? In what ways can we function without various types of memory?

Answer 1

Memory is that faculty of brain which helps in identifying the information previously encountered and able to retrieve it ; also helps in creating in new memories which is why it holds a great importance in a complete cycle of human life. There are various disorders related to memory like Alzheimer, Dementia, Parkinson’s disease etc. It is very difficult to identify each disorder’s symptoms in daily life but there are few symptoms which signify that a person is having abnormal memory and those are –

Getting lost at familiar places, asking same questions repeatedly, and forgetfulness of recent events, changes in personality, eating habits, language and odd/inappropriate behavior.

These are the signs that a person is having abnormal memory and may suffering from any memory disorder so there is a need to go a doctor. Normal memory is a memory which functions appropriately like encoding, retrieving and storage timely and also deleting memories which are no longer required.

Alzheimer disorder which is also known as senile dementia, it is a memory disorder which destroys the memory of an individual and also affects other mental functions. It is mainly caused by dying of progressive cells in the brain and its main causes are genes, environment factors and lifestyle. It can be identified by early signs like memory impairment, difficulty in focusing, problem solving etc. Medically it has a process to diagnose. Once a patient visits to a doctor, after analyzing the patient's history doctor suggests tests.

1. Assessing symptoms- Mental status testing which test the thinking and memory skills and gives result of cognitive impairment.

2. Neuropsychological Test- This also include testing of cognitive skills including daily tasks like driving to test the whether the patient has some other psychological problem like depression or not.

3. Interview with family and friends- This will give a description of patient’s behavior on a daily basis.

Then they have,- Lab Tests- As it has been mentioned this disorder is caused by dying of progressive cells of brain which can be evaluated through lab tests like MRI, CT, PET.

Although scans independently cannot diagnose the disorder. Its diagnosis is a process and it needs to be completed before reaching to any conclusion.

There are two ways to improve the memory internally and externally. The internal strategies are elaboration, association, visualization, rehearsal, chunking, cues, categorization and active observation. The external strategies are reminders, change in environment, and using various techniques like making and following a routine, removing distractions, meditation, being positive etc.

I don’t think humans would be able to operate anything without memory. There are various types of memory (see picture) and each memory has its own relevance. Without it one cannot learn, cannot plan for future, cannot reflect on past, cannot identify anyone; in short life would be impossible without memory.

Human Memory Sensory Memory (< 1 sec) Short-term Memory ( Working Memory) (< 1 min) Long-term Memory (life-time) Explicit Memory (conscious) Implicit Memory (unconscious) Declarative Memory (facts, events) Procedural Memory (skills, tasks) Episodic Memory (events, experiences) Semantic Memory (facts, concepts)

Please give rating, if the answer is helpful. Thank you.