The doctor named possible causes of early memory impairments

Memory impairments can make you anxious, especially if they appear early. Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, an expert at the Hemotest laboratory and a neurologist, told Izvestia about the causes of the early manifestations of the problem on February 28.

Human memory is divided into primary and long-term. The primary holds a small amount of data that is not stored for long. Long-term memory stores a huge amount of information: childhood memories, all the knowledge and skills that a person considers important, as well as vivid events. To transfer data from primary memory to long-term memory, it is necessary to make some efforts, the expert noted.

She said that the reason for difficulties in reproducing recent events or information may be thyroid problems, infections, as well as vitamin deficiencies and overwork. The hormone cortisol released during stress negatively affects the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning.

"Long—term memory can fail if the work of memory stores is persistently disrupted - nerve cells of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, amygdala. In old age, it is mainly based on degenerative processes. At a young age, traumatic brain injuries, neuroinfections, and acute cerebral circulatory disorders come to the fore," the doctor explained.

According to her, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis on the background of hereditary cholesterol metabolism disorders, type I diabetes mellitus, renal or liver failure on the background of hepatitis or after acute poisoning also lead to impaired nutrition of the nerve cells of the brain. In addition, the doctor added, vitamin B1, B12, folic acid deficiency, active and passive smoking, alcohol abuse can also affect memory problems.

Demyanovskaya noted that digital dementia has become a phenomenon of the last few years - a significant decrease in memory among young people due to frequent use of gadgets. People do not remember the necessary data due to the fact that they are stored in electronic storages. In addition, only vision and hearing are involved when watching videos, as a result of which, over time, the rest of the sensory centers, including muscle memory, coordination and balance skills, atrophy unnecessarily.

"If memory problems began to bother you before the age of 50-60, then the process is usually reversible. First of all, it is worth visiting a doctor to exclude the effect of diseases on memory, to check the level of vitamins and hormones," the doctor said.

On February 10, Polina Lepilova, a neurologist at the Sberbank Health medical company, told Izvestia about products that increase the risk of dementia. According to her, it is worth avoiding foods high in trans fats and saturated fats. These substances increase the level of "bad" cholesterol, which eventually leads to the development of atherosclerosis. They are found, for example, in fried foods, fast food, margarine and butter.