Many situations in everyday life can make us wonder if it is forgetfulness and memory problems Is it normal or a sign of cognitive decline or even the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? In this report, we learn the difference between normal forgetfulness and forgetfulness due to cognitive decline andAlzheimer’s And when should you seek medical help, according to the “Science” website.
Brain cells shrink as we get older, they maintain fewer connections with other neurons, and they store fewer chemicals needed to send messages to other neurons. But not all memory lapses are caused by age-related changes in our neurons in many cases. Influencing factors are less important, including fatigue, anxiety, or distractibility.
Some forgetfulness is normal
Our memory system is built in such a way that forgetting to a certain degree is normal. This is not a defect, but an advantage.
Preserving memories is not only a drain on our metabolism, but too much unnecessary information can slow or hinder the retrieval of certain memories.
But it’s not always up to us to decide what’s important and to remember. Our brain does that for us. In general, our brain prefers social information (the latest gossip), but easily ignores abstract information (like numbers).
Memory loss becomes a problem as it begins to affect your normal daily life. However, forgetting why you are behind the wheel, where you are supposed to go or even how to drive, is not normal. These are signs that something may not be right and should be investigated. in it more.
Some forgetfulness is indicative of mild cognitive impairment
The path between amnesia associated with aging and more worrisome amnesia is formulated as mild cognitive impairment The degree of impairment can remain stable, improve or worsen.
However, it does indicate an increased risk (regarding three to five times) of developing neurodegenerative diseases in the future such as dementia.
Each year, regarding 10-15% of people with mild cognitive impairment develop dementia.
For people with mild cognitive impairment, the ability to do usual activities is gradually and more severely affected over time. Along with memory loss, it can be accompanied by other problems with language, thinking, and decision-making skills.
A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment can be a double-edged sword. It confirms older adults’ fears that their memory loss is abnormal. It also raises fears of it developing into dementia but might also lead to exploration of potential treatment and planning for the future.
Forgetting the way home can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s
Forgetting the way home is thought to be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown that regions critically supporting memories of our spatial environment are the first to be affected by this degenerative disease.
So, a marked increase in cases of getting lost might be a warning sign of more visible and widespread difficulties ahead.
The researchers developed a five-minute test that used scene memory as a proxy for wayfinding ability, asking participants to remember pictures of houses and then testing their ability to distinguish between the images they had learned and a set of new pictures of the houses.
Scientists found that the test works well at predicting normal differences in way-finding ability in healthy young adults, but researchers are currently still evaluating the test’s effectiveness in older adults.
Get help when your memory lapses are frequent
While everyday memory lapses are not something we should worry regarding unnecessarily, it is wise to seek the advice of a healthcare professional, such as from your GP, when those problems become more evident and persistent.
While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, early detection will allow you to plan ahead and for more targeted management of the disorder.
