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T h e M e m o r y K e y

<http://www.memory-key.com>

Your resource for information about memory and memory improvement

November 2006

<http://www.memory-key.com/newsletters/issue_94.htm>

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THIS MONTH ON MEMORY-KEY.COM:

NEWS
Testing strengthens recall whether something's on the test or not
Rote learning may improve verbal memory in seniors
Iron-deficient infants have lower cognitive scores at 19
How whole-brain radiation might cause dementia
Common cancer treatments toxic to healthy brain cells
Chemotherapy temporarily affects the brain
Ecstasy can harm the brains of first-time users
Hormone replacement therapy may improve visual memory of postmenopausal women
Toddlers can learn complex actions from picture-book reading
How the brain detects novelty

ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
Higher level of certain fatty acid associated with lower dementia risk
Memory complaints early warning for Alzheimer's
Counseling Alzheimer's caregivers postpones the nursing home
Individualized counseling helps caregivers
New dementia screening tool detects early cognitive problems
What nerve fibers need to form connections


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The e-book on "Remembering intentions" is now $9.95!
Check it out at:
http://www.memory-key.com/shop/intention_ebook.htm

Note that you can now use your credit cards on Paypal.
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Find out about my YA novel at:
http://www.fmmcpherson.com/

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NEWS
<http://www.memory-key.com/MemoryGuide/news.htm>

November 2006
<http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm>

Testing strengthens recall whether something's on the test or not
The simple act of taking a test appears to help you remember everything you learned, even if it isn't tested. Moreover, recall was better the more time the student had spent on answering questions in the initial test, and those who were encouraged to guess did significantly better on the second test than students who were discouraged from guessing.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Testing

Rote learning may improve verbal memory in seniors
A study involving 24 older adults has found that six weeks of intensive rote learning (memorizing a newspaper article or poem of 500 words every week) resulted in measurable changes in the hippocampus and improved verbal and episodic memory in some of the participants, after (but not before) a six-week rest period.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Rote

Iron-deficient infants have lower cognitive scores at 19
Another study has come out finding that teenagers who were iron-deficient as infants continue to lag behind their peers in cognitive test scores, with a wider gap for children at lower socioeconomic levels.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Iron

How whole-brain radiation might cause dementia
About half the patients treated with whole-brain radiation later develop progressive memory problems. A new study has now identified changes in brain chemistry that may be responsible.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#radiation

Common cancer treatments toxic to healthy brain cells
A new study may explain ‘chemo-brain’ — apparently common drugs used to treat cancer are far more toxic to healthy brain cells than cancer.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#cancer

Chemotherapy temporarily affects the brain
A new study has found that although brain regions associated with cognitive function were smaller in breast cancer patients within 12 months of chemotherapy, there was no difference after three years.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Chemotherapy

Ecstasy can harm the brains of first-time users
The first study to look at the effects of low doses of ecstasy on first-time users has revealed a decrease in blood circulation in some areas of the brain, along with reduced verbal memory performance.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Ecstasy

Hormone replacement therapy may improve visual memory of postmenopausal women
A small study of postmenopausal women has found four weeks of hormone therapy resulted in increased activity in the prefrontal cortex when engaged in a visual matching task.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Hormone

Toddlers can learn complex actions from picture-book reading
A study of preschool children has found picture books not only encourage reading development, but also help toddlers learn about the real world, but very young children (18 months) need life-like color photographs.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#Toddlers

How the brain detects novelty
New research suggests that the hippocampus makes predictions of what will happen next by automatically recalling an entire sequence of events in response to a single cue, allowing us to anticipate future events and detect when things do not turn out as expected.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Nov.htm#novelty


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ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
<http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers%20news.htm>

November 2006
<http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm>

Higher level of certain fatty acid associated with lower dementia risk
Yet another study — this one involving 900 people over 9 years — finds an association between intake of the omega-3 oil known as DHA (and in particular a high intake of fish) and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#fatty

Memory complaints early warning for Alzheimer's
A post-mortem study of 90 older adults from the Rush Memory and Aging Project found that those who had yet to have any clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease still showed a strong link between their self-reported memory complaints and brain pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#complaints

Counseling Alzheimer's caregivers postpones the nursing home
A long-running study of 406 people caring for a spouse with dementia has found that a program of individual and family counseling sessions and ongoing support for caregivers delays by an average of 1.5 years the time when people with dementia are usually put in nursing homes.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#Counseling

Individualized counseling helps caregivers
Another large study has also found participating in a counseling program reduces the likelihood of caregivers to suffer depression and increases their confidence in caring for their relative. Hispanic and white participants saw the greatest benefit. In African-Americans, the intervention was effective among spouse-caregivers, but relatively ineffective among caregivers who were caring for a relative other than their husband or wife.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#Individualized

New dementia screening tool detects early cognitive problems
A new screening tool for dementia — the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination (SLUMS) — appears to work better in identifying mild cognitive problems in the elderly than the commonly used Mini Mental Status Examination — particularly for the more educated patients.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#screening

What nerve fibers need to form connections
A discovery that cholinergic neuronal circuits (reduced in Alzheimer’s patients) rely on neurotrophin-3, a chemical that stimulates nerve growth, suggests a new approach to a therapy for Alzheimer’s.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#fibers

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