Boosting the Memory

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I was jolted recently by a report that our memories start their decline by our mid 20s. Fortunately, mental stimulation increases brain performance. Memory, like muscle, needs to be utilized.

A British study, involving over seven thousand people aged between 18 and 96, confirmed the early start of memory decline. But it also showed a close link between memory and the frequency of brain stimulation and effort. People who keep making the effort to learn new things can have a better memory in their 80s than much younger people.

Memories are stored when changes occur in the number and strength of the connections between brain cells. New research is trying to find chemicals that might help boost the memory. In an unusual study that demonstrated the enhancement of smell memory in lowly fruit flies, scientists are investigating a protein called PMK, which may be effective in enhancing the memory by strengthening their connections between brain cells.

However, don’t look for memory boosting pills in the drug store anytime soon. Although the current research may boost the memory of fruit flies for smells, that’s a long way from helping me remember a phone number!

So next time you can’t recall something, keep at least this in mind: for memory, it’s use it or lose it.