Mind & Mood Archive

It appears that activities such as reading a book or writing can help slow the rate of memory decline in old age.

Q. I've been feeling consistently down since my husband passed away last year. What are my treatment options?

A. Depression is common after a significant loss such as the death of a spouse. It's important that you get help. Untreated depression can interrupt your sleep, interfere with your relationships, and affect your physical health.

Reading, writing, and staying mentally active at all stages of life can help slow the rate of memory decline with age.

Diet, exercise, and appropriate medical care can slow the decline in memory and mental skills.

As we age, concern over forgetfulness leaps quickly to fear. Is it the first touch of Alzheimer's disease or some other form of dementia?

Many online tests for Alzheimer's disease are inaccurate, unscientific, and unethical, according to a study presented at the recent Alzheimer's Association's International Conference in Boston.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada evaluated online tests that claim to determine if a person has signs of Alzheimer's disease. They scrutinized a representative sample of 16 websites, which the researchers did not name. A panel of experts rated most of the sites "poor" or "very poor" in their ability to diagnose Alzheimer's disease based on current scientific understanding. The tests also fell short on ethical measures, such as explaining the site's privacy policy or disclosing that companies were using the tests to market products. However, the tests did a pretty good job of presenting the material in a usable, understandable form for older people.

People with the most common type of irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation (AF), lose mental ability faster than those without the condition, even if they haven't had a stroke, according to a study published online June 5 in the journal Neurology. The study followed more than 5,000 adults, ages 65 and older, for seven years. Participants did not have AF or a history of stroke at the start of the study. (AF increases stroke risk.)

Researchers found that people who developed AF had faster declines in scores on tests of memory and thinking, and they reached the cutoff score for dementia two years earlier (age 85 versus 87) than people without the irregular heart rhythm.

Q. I'm more forgetful than I used to be. I'm not worried about dementia, but are there tricks for improving my memory?

A. There are some simple tricks.

Rule 1: Avoid multitasking, and focus. When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you miss something, ask the person to repeat it.

These proven strategies will help you lock onto names and faces
and stop forgetting where you put your keys and wallet.

The lost-keys-and-wallet scenario—it's a classic. You walk in the door, toss your things somewhere without thinking, and moments later the location vanishes from memory. Recalling the location of possessions in your home, along with remembering names and faces, are two of the most common memory tasks that get a little slippery with aging.

A growing amount of research suggests that exposure to pesticides may increase the risk for Parkinson’s disease. If you use pesticides, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves, and wash well afterward to minimize exposure, especially ingestion.

Exercise is as effective as antidepressants in some cases.

One in 10 adults in the United States struggles with depression, and antidepressant medications are a common way to treat the condition. However, pills aren't the only solution. Research shows that exercise is also an effective treatment. "For some people it works as well as antidepressants, although exercise alone isn't enough for someone with severe depression," says Dr. Michael Craig Miller, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

The exercise effect

Exercising starts a biological cascade of events that results in many health benefits, such as protecting against heart disease and diabetes, improving sleep, and lowering blood pressure. High-intensity exercise releases the body's feel-good chemicals called endorphins, resulting in the "runner's high" that joggers report. But for most of us, the real value is in low-intensity exercise sustained over time. That kind of activity spurs the release of proteins called neurotrophic or growth factors, which cause nerve cells to grow and make new connections. The improvement in brain function makes you feel better. "In people who are depressed, neuroscientists have noticed that the hippocampus in the brain—the region that helps regulate mood—is smaller. Exercise supports nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, improving nerve cell connections, which helps relieve depression," explains Dr. Miller.