Keep Your Brain Fit and Memory Sharp Linda Sasser, Ph.D.

[Pages:4]Keep Your Brain Fit and Memory Sharp Linda Sasser, Ph.D.

linda@

Quotations to Remember The true art of memory is the art of attention. Samuel Johnson

Memory is not a passive experience but rather an active process, something you consciously choose to do. Frank Felberbaum

You can remember any new piece of information if it is associated to something you already know or remember. Harry Lorayne

We soon forget what we have not deeply thought about. Marcel Proust Few minds wear out; more rust out. Christian Nestell Bovee

Important Terms Neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to rewire itself as a result of experience by forming new neural connections throughout life Neurogenesis - the generation and growth of new brain cells, believed to occur throughout the lifespan Cognitive reserve - a concept used to explain a person's capacity to maintain normal cognitive function in the presence of brain pathology through differential recruitment of brain networks. People who have a larger reserve of neurons and stronger cognitive abilities can tolerate some brain deterioration without showing symptoms. The brain builds cognitive reserve through education, occupational complexity, and mental stimulation (engaging the brain with new experiences).

Brain SENSE - Lifestyle Practices for Optimum Brain Health

Socialization Older adults who are more socially active generally experience less cognitive decline. Social activity promotes: complex interpersonal exchanges, maintaining or enhancing neural networks meaningful social roles and a sense of purpose, reducing the stress response regular exercise/walking, leading to vascular changes in the brain and cerebral oxygenation Strive to: Build friendships and family networks Develop hobbies or participate in activities involving other people (choir, art classes, etc.) Engage in volunteering or ministry

?2019 Linda Sasser, Ph.D. Brain and Memory Health



Exercise/Physical Activity Increases blood flow to the brain, which brings oxygen and nutrients (glucose) Causes your body to release endorphins, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression Combats corrosive effects of cortisol, a product of chronic stress [stress is toxic to the brain

because it releases the hormone cortisol onto the hippocampus, where memories are stored, making you momentarily forgetful and weakening neural connections over time, increasing risk for dementia] Elevates supply of neurotrophic factors (BDNF) for neurogenesis Improves attention, reaction time, reasoning, and memory Strive to: Not be sedentary; try to get 8,000 - 10,000 steps daily, if possible Get 30-60 minutes 4-6 days/week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, if able Do muscle-strengthening activities two or more days per week Dance and/or play real or virtual sports (using a Wii, Playstation, etc.) Visit - Go4Life, resources for exercise/activity

Nutrition (Mediterranean or MIND Diet) Eliminate trans fats [hydrogenated foods like chips, fries] Reduce intake of refined sugar, artificial sweeteners Eat antioxidants: at least 5 half-cup servings daily of fruits and vegetables [resveratrol, a

potent antioxidant found in red wine, may help counteract oxidative stress in neurons; one study showed that older adults who consume about 1.5 cups of leafy greens daily a have lower risk of developing dementia] Eat more Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids [salmon, light canned tuna, walnuts, seeds] Follow the MIND or Mediterranean diet: more vegetables, beans, fruit, nuts; less meat and dairy; extra-virgin olive oil, avocados [Middle-aged and older adults who adhered to the MIND diet slowed cognitive decline, and scored the equivalent of 7.5 years younger on cognitive tests after a year, according to a 2015 study from Rush University and the Harvard School of Public Health] Stay hydrated

Spirituality and Sleep Regular prayer/meditation enhances the immune system, reduces stress Staying positive and flexible helps reduce depression and increase lifespan Poor or inadequate amounts of sleep lead to difficulties with attention and concentration As we sleep, our brains store memories and new information from the previous day,

mostly between the sixth and eighth hours; poor sleep can hurt our ability to remember new things Seven to nine hours of restorative sleep is critical, allowing glial cells to clear away metabolic waste and toxins (including beta-amyloid) that accumulated while we were awake Sleep may be a modifiable risk factor during the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, before dementia symptoms appear.

?2019 Linda Sasser, Ph.D. Brain and Memory Health



Education/Cognitive Stimulation (exposing the brain to novel and complex challenges) Cognitive training can improve cognitive performance in older adults Participation in cognitively stimulating activities is associated with slower late-life cognitive

decline Interventions involve attention, speed-of-processing, working and long-term memory,

reasoning Examples of cognitively stimulating activities include:

Critical thinking (interpreting proverbs) Analytic thinking (finding commonalities and differences) Exercises for working memory, verbal fluency, word forming Learning and applying mnemonic strategies to remember names, tasks, information Learning a second language/sign language); learning to play a musical instrument Solving jigsaw, crossword, Sudoku, and other puzzles; solving problems (math, reasoning) Attempting to do things with the nondominant hand (text, brush teeth, eat)

How Memory Works: An Information Processing Model

REHEARSED

STIMULUS

SENSORY MEMORY

1-3 seconds

all sensory input

ATTENTION

SHORT-TERM MEMORY

~ 20 seconds unless

ELABORATION

rehearsed

5-9 items

RETRIEVED

LONG-TERM MEMORY

forever(?)

unlimited

semantic episodic procedural

NOT TRANSFERRED TO NEXT STAGE AND THEREFORE FORGOTTEN

Basic Memory Functions Encoding (taking in), storing (retaining), and retrieving (recollecting) information, though

sometimes inaccurately Sensory Memory allows information coming to our brain from our senses to be retained,

sometimes for as little as a fraction of a second, as it makes its way into consciousness Short-term or Working Memory refers to the conscious (attending to, concentrating on)

processing (manipulating, working or making calculations with) of information, such a calculating a tip or reciting a phone number you just heard. Long Term Memory is semantic (related to knowledge, like vocabulary), episodic (personal experiences) or procedural (motor or muscle memory for the movements involved in things you do, like driving, riding a bicycle, playing a musical instrument)

?2019 Linda Sasser, Ph.D. Brain and Memory Health



PAVE Your Way to a Better Memory:

P - Pay attention

A - Associate

V - Visualize

E - Elaborate

Pay attention - Focus or concentrate on what you need to remember.

Associate - Connect to-be-remembered (TBR) information to something you already know.

Effective associations may involve similar sound (pool - cool), similar meaning (pupil -

student), cause/effect (lightning - thunder), opposites (hot-cold), or acronyms (the first letter

of each TBR item creates a word; HOMES = the Great Lakes).

Visualize - form mental pictures and ACE your images (use Action, Color, Exaggeration).

Elaborate - Connect TBR information meaningfully with something already in long-term

memory. Categorize or alphabetize the TBR items or connect them by creating a story.

Remembering Names Pay attention Ask for the spelling of the name (if appropriate) and/or visualize the name in writing Repeat the name to yourself and use the name out loud in conversation while looking at the person's face Note spontaneous associations to the name and visualize images for those associations (Keith = keys, Penny = the coin, Bill = dollar bill, Stein = beer stein; Firehammer = a hammer on fire) Break a longer name into syllables and try to associate each with an image (Rosenberg = rose in iceberg; Enachescu = in ache shoe; Berrettini = beret tiny) Note a prominent feature of the person's face or appearance (a mole, large nose, thin eyebrows, pointy ears); create a mental image associating the feature and the name Use alliteration or rhymes to associate something about the person with the name (tall Tom, mustached Mike, jovial Julie, Sarah sells, Joann from Jersey, curly Shirley, etc.) Write names and descriptions of people you have just met, and review your list before your next encounter with them

About the Speaker Linda Sasser, who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, brings more than three decades of experience as a speaker, workshop facilitator, and professor of educational and cognitive psychology. In 2015 Dr. Sasser authored BE! Brain Enrichment, a curriculum to help people learn about brain health and improve memory and other cognitive skills, which is being taught in numerous senior living communities around the country.

In 2019 she published Brain SENSE: A Guide and Workbook to Keep Your Mind and Memory Sharp, available on Amazon. Through her business she offers presentations on memory and brain wellness, emotional intelligence, and memoir writing, and exercises her passion for motivating people to fully utilize their brain's potential.

Her website is Contact her at linda@

?2019 Linda Sasser, Ph.D. Brain and Memory Health



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