When we forget something, usually the brain does not find its way to the memory we try to seek, either because the way to recover it is damaged or simply erased. We are in the presence of memory loss.
This is a state that perhaps should not represent great concern, if the pathology that causes it is benign. Usually, the memory comes back or the brain gets the memory it is looking for.
In the following article, we give you the necessary information that will allow you to consciously manage this state.
What is memory loss?
To enter into context, it is necessary to make some conceptualizations, which will allow us to understand later the subject we are going to deal with. First, what is memory?
In simple terms, memory is thebrain’sability to retain information and retrieve it voluntarily, that is, it is what allows us to remember facts, ideas, sensations, relationships between concepts and all kinds of stimuli that have occurred in the past.
There are for our understanding, two types of memory: short-term memory and long-term memory.
Short-term memory is one that allows us to retain a limited amount of information for a short period of time. It is characterized because it temporarily retains the processed information, then discards it or vanishes it, or if it later passes into long-term memory.
Long-term memory is the brain mechanism that allows us to analyze and retain an unlimited amount of data for an extended period of time. They can last from a few seconds to several years.
It is a key element, to perform our daily tasks without errors and autonomously. It stores facts, knowledge or skills and then retrieves them at our convenience.
In this context, we can say that memory loss can happen in the loss of data temporarily in the brain, it is unusual forgetfulness. The individual is not able to recall new events (short-term memory) or access one or more memories of the past (long-term memory), or both.
It is also known as amnesia, a common disorder among people as they age, among other causes, due to the progressive deterioration of neurons. Memory loss usually happens over a short period of time but then tends to resolve, but depending on the cause it may not go away and may get worse over time.
Causes of memory loss
The causes of memory loss are very varied and will depend on a host of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here we mention the most important ones:
Advanced age
The elderly population is the most susceptible to forgetfulness and memory disorders, due to the slight physiological decline in brain functionality. The ability to learn, attention and concentration are affected even without the presence of related pathologies.
However, when these problems begin to be more continuous, we can infer mild cognitive impairment or, if it is more severe, dementia .
At times, the elderly must face difficult situations such as loneliness, the loss of a partner, the loss of work or their usual practices, triggering emotional problems, and consequently memory loss.
One articlehighlights that people over the age of 65-70 complain about their memory loss. Anotherarticle on memory disorders highlights the importance of making an early diagnosis for timely care.
Dementia
Memory loss is associated with this syndrome. Vascular dementia is a much more serious form of decreased mental function, and memory loss, particularly for short-term memory, is often the first symptom, worsening over time.
People affected by this syndrome may forget entire events, not just details, such as: having difficulty remembering how to do things they have done many times before; not being able to do things that require many steps, such as following a cooking recipe; forget to turn off the stove; close the door when leaving the house, among others.
People with dementia are unaware of their memory loss and frequently deny its existence.
Another form of dementia is vascular dementia, which consists of a large-scale infarction in the brain, or a heart attack, affecting strategic parts of the brain in cognition processes, including memory. A researcharticle on vascular dementia reports its incidence on cognitive processes in the individual.
Frontotemporal dementia also causes difficulties with abstract thinking, paying attention, and remembering recent speech.
Some studies indicate that VB12 deficiency causes dementia due to cyanocobalamin deficiency.
Alzheimer
This disease leads to a progressive and severe deterioration of memory, problems in orientation (it is easy to not know where or what day they are), in calculating and, in general, in carrying out their day-to-day activities.
In a mild phase, the person with this disease can show important forgetfulness, get lost in familiar places, appear disconnected from their activities and conversations.
In a moderate phase, forgetfulness is more important, forgetting names or things that happened a few minutes ago, you can neglect your personal hygiene. The day to day becomes unfeasible without outside help.
In an advanced phase, he has problems eating or understanding anything, he does not recognize relatives and friends; may display inappropriate behavior in public. In this phase, the person is totally dependent.
cerebrovascular accident
Most people who have a stroke end up with memory problems. The severity of this problem depends on the brain damage that occurred.
If the stroke is not very severe, patients recover their memory naturally after a few weeks or months. When this does not occur, medical recommendations and treatments should be followed to help cope with memory loss.
An articlerefers to the fact that the severity of memory loss will depend on the damage to the brain. Other researcharticle concludes that executive functions, long-term memory, and short-term memory are the areas most affected.
hydrocephalus
Normal pressure hydrocephalus, also known as adult chronic hydrocephalus, usually occurs in older people, and is caused by an increase in cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral cavities, which can damage the brain.
One of the problems that this pathology presents when establishing a correct diagnosis is that the symptoms it produces are frequent in other diseases typical of the elderly, but the following are commonly present: cognitive deterioration with memory loss, lack of attention and apathy.
In this sense, an article refers to the relationship between normal pressure hydrocephalus and its association with cognition problems, including memory loss.
brain injuries and infections
Memory loss moments after a traumatic injury is known as post-traumatic amnesia. It can last a few minutes, several weeks, or months depending on the severity of the brain injury.
In a fact sheet from the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System , they explain memory problems that affect individuals who have suffered traumatic head injuries.
As for brain infections, encephalitis is one of them and is caused by inflammation (swelling and irritation) of the brain. In most cases, this inflammation is caused by a virus.
They commonly occur in children, the elderly, and other people with weakened immune systems (due to HIV/AIDS, cancer, etc.). Among its symptoms is memory loss.
An article refers to one of the consequences of this infection is cognitive impairment, including memory loss.
Meningitis is another disease of infectious origin and occurs with inflammation of the membranes of the spinal cord and brain, usually due to an infection. It is usually caused by a viral infection, although it can also be bacterial or fungal.
On the other hand, multiple sclerosis, a brain pathology resulting from the immune system attacking the nervous system, can also cause memory loss.
oxygen deficiency
Brain cells die if there is not adequate oxygen saturation, causing mental problems including confusion and long-term memory loss.
Likewise, smoking damages the arteries that supply blood to the brain, restricting the concentration of oxygen that must reach it, damaging neurons and impairing the functioning of memory.
Mental and emotional disorders
Stress, anxiety and some consequences derived from emotions such as anger, can cause episodes of transient global amnesia.
For example, the stress caused by a traumatic event can cause us to lose our memories of what happened that same morning, and this forgetfulness occurs because we focus our attention on other stimuli and take away the importance of what surrounds us. Actually what generates amnesia is the lack of attention.
Another disease state, dementia, usually causes depression, but determining whether the cause of memory loss is dementia or depression can be difficult. People with memory loss due to depression, unlike those with dementia, are aware of their memory loss and complain about it.
According to an article , in states of depression, signs of cognitive deterioration, especially memory, are frequent.
Stress can interfere with memory formation and retrieval, in part because worry prevents you from paying attention to other things. However, under certain circumstances, particularly when the stress is mild to moderate and does not last long, it can improve memory.
Alcohol and drug use
Drugs, such as anxiolytics, decrease activity in key parts of the brain, such as those involved in transferring events from short-term to long-term memory.
Other drugs used to lower cholesterol can affect memory and other mental processes by lowering cholesterol levels in the brain.
The brain requires these lipids for the formation of connections between neurons; These links are hidden in memory and learning. (The brain, in fact, contains a quarter of the body’s cholesterol.)
Regarding anticonvulsants, their primary action is to limit seizures by blocking the flow of signals from the Central Nervous Systemtag. It is known that all central nervous system depressants, such as anticonvulsants, can cause memory loss.
As for the consumption of alcohol, it is common in people who abuse their consumption, the famous ” Mental Blackouts “tag. Chronic exposure to alcohol causes brain damage, in fact it is becoming more frequent among young people who start consuming social-recreational alcohol.
Alcoholism presents in the individual, a moderate cognitive deterioration (especially memory alterations), with signs of brain atrophy in CT or MRI, which is supported by a Study carried out, which reveals the presence of memory problems in alcoholic people. .
Nutrient and vitamin deficiency
A diet in small amounts of vitamins B12 and folic acid can cause temporary memory loss. This vitamin along with folic acid, contribute to maintaining the health of brain cells.
Deficiency in these compounds can cause various symptoms, including memory loss. Studies report that vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with cognitive problems, including memory loss.
There is evidence, which associates memory loss with a deficit in the intake of vitamin B12 or cobalamin. AnotherStudy revealed the relationship between nutritional status in the elderly and their cognitive decline.
Likewise, an article concludes that the presence of folic acid in the body can prevent cognitive deterioration, including memory loss, in the elderly.
Symptoms of memory loss
The symptoms that a subject with memory loss may present will depend on the pathology presented and its characteristics. Here we present the most important ones.
Attention deficit
With the passage of age, individuals progressively lose many of our cognitive abilities, including attention.
We are more distracted by other things that are not related to the main activity we are developing. This can happen by trying to remember what we were doing or how to do what we are doing.
Mental confusion
Generally, when the individual loses the ability to remember the things that occurred most recently, they cannot carry out mental coordination on the tasks they have been doing, since they do not find logic due to the mental gaps that appear, it is proper that they appear a mental confusion.
It can also happen that you try to remember information, but details of that information are confused. For example, when we visit a place, we remember that we were there, but the details that happened are not remembered, and this also causes confusion.
Trouble doing everyday tasks
The lack of monitoring, coordination, and control over the activities that the individual performs on a daily basis is commonly related to the fact that parts of those procedures and tasks that are performed are momentarily forgotten, thus interrupting the cycle, generating problems in its continuation.
Depression
states
Headaches
When memory loss is associated with problems with drugs, alcoholism, lack of oxygenation or infectious diseases of the brain, it can lead to frequent migraines or headaches. In these cases, it is important to recognize the origin or pathology that causes the headache.
Vision problems
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects memory. Researchreveals that Alzheimer’s disease produces alterations in cognition, including visuospatial functions.
Lethargy
Lethargy is a clinical picture related to fatigue. This state may be associated with anemia, viral infections, respiratory infections, low mood, anxiety and depression, stress, excessive activity, insufficient sleep time, or medication side effects.
Most of these factors are related to memory loss.
Language problems
At this point, the individual suffering from memory loss has difficulty remembering words and expressing them. Phrases like“I have it on the tip of my tongue ” are typical of this state.
Treatment for memory loss
The treatment for memory loss will depend on the pathology that causes it. When memory loss is benign, treatment is usually simple and effective. Here are some guidelines:
Vitamin supplements
Supplementation with Bvitamins, specifically cobalamin (B12), and folic acid are recommended to treat memory loss, when the cause is the lack of these components in the daily diet.
Prescription drugs
Drugs prescribed by specialists in the area are also used to efficiently treat states of memory loss.
Psychological therapy
The consultation and help of specialists in psychological therapies, also arise as therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of these states of memory loss, mainly in those cases of psychological disorders.
Cerebrospinal fluid drainage
In those cases where the main cause of memory loss is hydrocephalus, the option of cerebrospinal fluid drainage is the most recommended.
How to prevent memory loss?
There are options that can allow you to maintain a healthy, strengthened and always active memory. Here are the following:
Eating in a balanced way
Poor nutrition brings serious consequences to the body. A healthy diet, covering the nutrients in the body in a balanced way, guarantees a healthy life and good mental health, primarily for the maintenance of cognitive processes. The consumption of foods rich in omega 3 is also recommended.
Get regular physical activity
Physical activity greatly helps the blood supply to the brain, guaranteeing an efficient supply of oxygen to the brain cells. This will help reduce poor memory.
rest properly
Adequate rest, especially during periods of sleep, is vital for the recovery of the cells that have worked during the waking state in the body. Let’s remember that the sleep period should last between 6 and 9 continuous hours.
Managing stress
Daily stress control is vital to take control over our cognitive functions. Attention and concentration are vital processes in the conservation and functioning of memory.
Avoid smoking
It is sufficiently documented and with different criteria, the damage that smoking provides in the transport of oxygen through the blood, to the cells of the organism, especially the cerebral ones. The further you move away from smoking, the lower your risk of memory loss.
Moderate alcohol consumption
Consuming alcohol in excess, progressively destroys the cells of the body. One fact is that brain cells that are damaged or destroyed by external agents, in this case alcohol, are not replaced or recovered.
Perform cognitive stimulation activities
Crossword puzzles, riddles, word games, among others, help stimulate the brain, keeping the cognition process in constant activity, including memory.
Protect yourself from head trauma
Head injuries, usually moderate to severe, cause temporary memory loss. Adequate protection in contact sports activities, vehicle driving is important.
Go to regular medical checkups
Going to the doctor, to have regular check-ups (annually), is a practice to prevent any alteration of our body, essentially those related to cognition, as we advance in age.
University Professional in the area of Human Resources, Postgraduate in Occupational Health and Hygiene of the Work Environment, 14 years of experience in the area of health. Interested in topics of Psychology, Occupational Health, and General Medicine.