6 simple steps to keep your mind sharp at any age Everyone has the occasional "senior moment." Maybe you've gone into the kitchen and can't remember why, or can't recall a familiar name during a conversation. Memory lapses can occur at any age, but aging alone is generally not a cause of cognitive decline. When significant memory loss occurs among older people, it is generally not due to aging but to organic disorders, brain injury, or neurological illness. Get your copy of Improving Memory: Understanding age-related memory loss   By age 60, more than half of adults have concerns about their memory. However, minor memory lapses that occur with age are not usually signs of a serious problem, such as Alzheimer’s disease, but rather the result of normal changes in the structure and function of the brain. This report, Improving Memory: Understanding age-related memory loss, describes these normal age-related changes and other more serious causes of memory loss — and how to distinguish between them. Studies have shown that you can help prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia with some basic good health habits: staying physically active getting enough sleep not smoking having good social connections limiting alcohol to no more than one drink a day eating a Mediterranean style diet. Memory and other cognitive changes can be frustrating, but the good news is that, thanks to decades of research, you can learn how to get your mind active. There are various strategies we can use to help maintain cognitive fitness. Here are several you might try. 1. Keep learning A higher level of education is associated with better mental functioning in old age. Experts think that advanced education may help keep memory strong by getting a person into the habit of being mentally active. Challenging your brain with mental exercise is believed to activate processes that help maintain individual brain cells and stimulate communication among them. Many people have jobs that keep them mentally active. Pursuing a hobby, learning a new skill, volunteering or mentoring are additional ways to keep your mind sharp. 2. Use all your senses The more senses you use in learning something, the more of your brain that will be involved in retaining the memory. In one study, adults were shown a series of emotionally neutral images, each presented along with a smell. They were not asked to remember what they saw. Later, they were shown a set of images, this time without odors, and asked to indicate which they'd seen before. They had excellent recall for all odor-paired pictures, and especially for those associated with pleasant smells. Brain imaging indicated that the piriform cortex, the main odor-processing region of the brain, became active when people saw objects originally paired with odors, even though the smells were no longer present and the subjects hadn't tried to remember them. So challenge all your senses as you venture into the unfamiliar. 3. Believe in yourself Myths about aging can contribute to a failing memory. Middle-aged and older learners do worse on memory tasks when they're exposed to negative stereotypes about aging and memory, and better when the messages are positive about memory preservation into old age. People who believe that they are not in control of their memory function — joking about "senior moments" too often, perhaps — are less likely to work at maintaining or improving their memory skills and therefore are more likely to experience cognitive decline. If you believe you can improve and you translate that belief into practice, you have a better chance of keeping your mind sharp. 4. Prioritize your brain use If you don't need to use mental energy remembering where you laid your keys or the time of your granddaughter's birthday party, you'll be better able to concentrate on learning and remembering new and important things. Take advantage of smart phone reminders, calendars and planners, maps, shopping lists, file folders, and address books to keep routine information accessible. Designate a place at home for your glasses, purse, keys, and other items you use often. 5. Repeat what you want to know When you want to remember something you've just heard, read, or thought about, repeat it out loud or write it down. That way, you reinforce the memory or connection. For example, if you've just been told someone's name, use it when you speak with him or her: "So, John, where did you meet Camille?" 6. Space it out Repetition is most potent as a learning tool when it's properly timed. It's best not to repeat something many times in a short period, as if you were cramming for an exam. Instead, re-study the essentials after increasingly longer periods of time — once an hour, then every few hours, then every day. Spacing out periods of study helps improve memory and is particularly valuable when you are trying to master complicated information, such as the details of a new work assignment. For more information on diagnosing memory problems and boosting your memory, read Improving Memory, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: Martin Prescott/Getty Images Share this story:

Does professional memory training work? Are you worried about your memory? You can go it alone and teach your-self techniques for strengthening your memory. Or, you can get pro-fessional memory training. Some medical centers offer memory training programs in which peo-ple meet every week or so to learn memory enhancement techniques, then practice them as homework. Another alternative is to attend a series of individual sessions with a clinician who specializes in memory and other cognitive problems. Such a specialist can recommend specific strategies for the types of memory problems that affect you. If you are considering a mem-ory enhancement program, choose one that is run by a health profes-sional with specialized training in cognitive rehabilitation. Some peo-ple benefit from individual treat-ment, where their particular needs can be identified and addressed. Do memory training programs work? Studies on the effectiveness of memory enhancement pro-grams have found some benefit. One study demonstrated the potentially enduring value of an organized training program for cognitive enhancement. For this study—called Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly, or ACTIVE—2,832 adults over age 65 were divided into four groups. One group received 10 ses-sions of classroom instruction in memory. The second had 10 class-room sessions in reasoning ability. The third group received 10 hours of computer-based speed-of-pro-cessing training. The fourth group received no training and served as the control group. Some members of each training group received four additional "booster" sessions 11 months after the initial training and four more after 35 months. Each of the training groups improved in the cognitive area that was trained. For example, the memory group showed enhance-ment on tests of memory. There was no improvement in mental functions not specifically trained. Follow-up studies demonstrated that the improvements lasted many years. Ten years after the study began, the effects held up for reasoning and speed of processing but were no longer maintained for memory. Even so, after 10 years, the participants in each of the three training groups reported less decline in their ability to engage in daily activities (for example, pre-paring meals, handling finances, shopping, housework, driving) compared with those in the con-trol group. The researchers also found that participants who completed the computer-based speed-of-processing training reduced their risk of dementia after 10 years by 29% compared with the control group that received no training. But you don't need to rely on a computer. Studies show that all kinds of mentally stimulat-ing activities are good for cognitive health. For more information on diagnosing memory problems and boosting your memory, read Improving Memory, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: Motortion/Getty Images Share this story:

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Improving Memory: Understanding age-related memory loss Featured content: • What is memory? • How we remember • Forgetting: What's normal? • How memory changes with age • Memory impairment: Normal aging or brain disease? • Health and lifestyle factors linked to memory problems • Ten ways of life to promote memory health Click here to read more »