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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Alzheimer's / August 2005Poor memory - possible causes?
Hi All, I am concerned about my own memory, which plays tricks on me quite often. I am a male, 37yo and I consider I have a very poor memory. I can't remember names of famous Hollywood actors, whose movies I've seen many times (like Mel Gibson, George Clooney, and the heaps of them - actually right now I can't even complete the list of movie stars...). I changed my workplace about 9 months ago and now I discovered I can hardly remember the names of some of my previous colleagues (and they were only about 12 of them). The same for some of the persons I met a year or two ago. While they are able to remember my name straight away, I realize I completely forgot their names, and it is very embarrassing. Maybe it worth's mentioning English is not my main language, but still, that is far from being a cause. During the day I often forget things as putting the food back in the fridge, taking my mobile at work, etc. However, I have a pretty good memory about math and physics formulas and things which I learnt many years ago. I can't say that in the past I had a (much) better memory. In the IQ tests, I score pretty high, usually over 125. I suspect it has to do with how long a persons sleeps, about food, life conditions, etc. I sleep around 6 hours a day, eat properly, never done drugs, drink very rarely, don't take any medicines. Should I be worried about such problems? Is there any kinds of test which should disclose why do I have such a poor memory? Regards, Nick Hi Nick, I think everyone worries about their memory problems occasionally. I know I sure do. But when I compare it with my Mom's problems I am quite sure that mine is not disease produced. I think your first step is to go have a thorough checkup at the Drs. From what I have learned reading here, and the book, The 36 hour day, memory loss can be caused by lots of different physical problems. Problems that can be easily corrected by the proper vitamin or medication. I'll bet your Dr. can put your mind to rest about your "bad" memory. And hey, I can never remember the names of movie actors or their movies - I have to talk about the plot and let others guess who's name I am looking for. > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Regards, > Nick Nick, you are probably worrying needlessly. It is a strange thing, but the people who really and truly do have alzheimers disease never seem to see their own deficits. If you are concerned about it, you ought to mention it when you go for your next checkup. There are many illnesses which do affect memory, both physical and psychological. They are seldom the really serious stuff. I say this not truly knowing, but just as a lay person. Your doctor would be the one to really ask, if there was anything to worry about. A good clue is that you are able to remember mathematical stuff, which you use in your life, but other long term memories seem to fall into the background of your day to day life, and you seldom call upon them. Remembering the names of movie stars is not much of a "yardstick".... to judge your memory by.  SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Regards, > Nick Nick, When you worry is when you lose the Math..My father was an engineer (planning commissioner) and he paid for a Mediterranean cruise that he just paid for the day before; thats when my mom said Doctor. right away; also his drivers license was revoked that week. Les Nick, you would probably benefit by asking your doc to test you for nutritional deficiencies as well as checking out other possibilities. There are several key nutrients that can affect the memory if they are deficient and hardly anyone eats a proper diet for all nutrients. One warning I'll pass along is I was told to try Ginko Biloba to improve my memory. No one mentioned that it increases your risk of hemoraghic (sp?) bleeding and stroke. I had a week of headaches and stopped taking it, then found out about the risk. Your physician is probably your best bet to find out what the problem might be. If you have had any major head injuries, be sure to mention that to your doc. I've read that concussions can cause problems later stemming from low level inflammation. Karen > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Regards, > Nick > I suspect it has to do with how long a persons sleeps, about food, life > conditions, etc. I sleep around 6 hours a day, eat properly, never done > drugs, drink very rarely, don't take any medicines. > Should I be worried about such problems? Is there any kinds of test which > should disclose why do I have such a poor memory? it could have a number of causes including dietary deficiencies, poor thyroid levels, tumors, or circulatory problems. you should talk to your primary care physician about this, and ask for referral for a full psycho-neuro exam. if he tells you that it's "normal aging" find another doctor. you need a full physical including all blood chemistry, some memory tests, and possibly some cat or pet scans of your brain. Nick Smith <nospam@please.com> is alleged to have said: > Hi All, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Should I be worried about such problems? Is there any kinds of test which > should disclose why do I have such a poor memory? When we're young, stuff goes in almost without effort. In fact my brain is full of tv show themes and commercials from my childhood, while it's much harder to get new memories to stick. You're at an age when you're noticing that stuff doesn't stick like it used to. But I second the others' recommendation: get yourself to a doctor. Tell them your ability to remember is changing, and it's starting to affect your life. If your primary care physician blows you off, see if you can get a referral to a neurologist, psychologist or psychiatrist. There are verbal tests to see how bad your memory might be, and there are blood tests and CAT or PET scans if required to point to a cause. SignatureJo Ann Malina, make spamthis best to find my address Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime you haven't committed. -- Anthony Powell, _A Dance to the Music of Time_ > ... I can't remember > names of famous Hollywood actors, whose movies I've seen many times ... > ...Maybe it worth's mentioning English is not my main language, > but still, that is far from being a cause. ... > ... During the day I often forget things as putting the food > back in the fridge, taking my mobile at work, etc. ... > ... I have a pretty good memory about math and physics formulas ... > ... I can't say that in the past I had a > (much) better memory. ... > ... In the IQ tests, I score pretty high, usually over 125. ... Taking all of these facts together, here is my totally off-the-wall, non-expert, take it for what you paid for it, medical opinion: 1. You are a bright guy with a good memory. Math and physics are hard! Multiple languages are hard! You do both of those well. 2. You focus on what's important to you. 3. You don't focus on what's not important to you. The "absent minded professor" is a famous stereotype that might well apply to you. It is not unusual for people who are highly focused on intellectual matters to ignore more mundane matters and not register them in their memories. This can sometimes be a problem for the professor's wife, but is not a sign of brain disease. Some might say it's the opposite. If that explanation doesn't completely satisfy you then, by all means, see a doctor, preferably a neurologist. But I'm betting he won't find a thing wrong. Alan |
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