Our memory gives us the ability to retain and recall incidents and information. But more importantly, it allows us a sense of self, to feel comfortable with those we know and to use past experiences as a guide in new situations. However, our memory doesn't always work perfectly. It can be affected by brain injury, stress, diet, and lack of sleep, medications, lack of exercise, alcohol and drug abuse as well as natural aging. As people grow older, it may take longer to retrieve memories. Some adults joke about having a "senior moment." However, sometimes memory loss can be more serious or even life-threatening. Brain-Related Areas for Memory Memory is stored in several areas of the brain. However, we can see the primary structures and the memory types that relate to it from studying damaged brains in the past. The following is a short overview of structures in the brain and memory functions that relate to them. (Kolb et al, 2003) Cerebellum Hippocampus The Thalamus The Temporal Lobes The Frontal Lobes During periods of stress, our bodies secrete a stress hormone called cortisol which can interfere with the energy supply to certain brain cells involved in memory. Too much cortisol can prevent the brain from laying down a new memory or from accessing already existing memories. Alzheimer's Disease Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. In the past century, scientists have learned a great deal about Alzheimer’s disease. The most important is that AD is not inevitable. There are actions you can take to increase your resistance and stave off AD’s effects. (Waldemar, 2007) In 1986, Dr. David Snowdon, then at the University of Minnesota, began a scientific study involving 678 Catholic nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame. This research project, often called the “Nun Study,” is one of the most significant long-term research studies ever done on aging and Alzheimer's disease. (Snowden, 2002) One of the primary questions the Nun Study researchers attempted to answer was how pathology in the human brain related to AD symptoms. Over the period of the study, the only method to determine brain pathology was through autopsy on deceased study participants. During autopsy, researchers observed physical changes in the brains of the study participants. They then attempted to relate their pathological observations back to the lifetime behavior observed in the participant. One of their research questions was: Did every participant with AD-related physical brain changes display symptoms of AD while alive? The results from the Nun Study were exciting. They showed that approximately one-third of the sisters whose brains had displayed post-mortem AD changes (plaques and tangles) had shown no behavioral symptoms of dementia while alive. In fact, these women scored normal results in all mental and physical tests! The researchers hypothesized that the reason they were unaffected was Cognitive Reserve. Cognition is defined as the process of thought and includes communication, problem-solving, learning and memory. Cognitive Reserve lets individuals with greater cognitive skills delay symptoms of AD in spite of underlying changes occurring in their brains. Lifestyles including intellectual pursuits, physical activities, and socializing are associated with slower cognitive decline in the healthy older set. There is also evidence from functional imaging studies that subjects engaging in such activities can clinically tolerate more AD pathology. It is possible that training your brain and body creates more efficient cognitive function and therefore delays the onset of dementia. We selected a case study from our files to show you the result of only 20 sessions of BrainAdvantage for an Alzheimer's patient. Neurotherapy is a non-linear process to which no two individuals will respond in exactly the same way or at the same rate.   BrainAdvantage Alzheimer's Disease Case Study Alzheimer's Articles:   Saving Yourself from Alzheimer’s Disease! by Stephanie Reese, PhD   2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures from The Alzheimer's Association   Stroke patients regain sight after intensive brain training from Guardian.co.uk.com   The helmet that could turn back the symptoms of Alzheimer's By David Derbyshire   UCLA Neuroscientists Reveal The Symphony Of Memory Formation from University Of California - Los Angeles Here is one of our older patients talking about their experience with BrainAdvantage. Click on the picture to see the video.   Have you seen my keys? by Stephanie Reese, PhD, Andrew Reese and Martha M. Grout, MD   Human memory by Vadim S. Rotenberg and Igor Weinberg Affiliation of authors: Prof., V. S. Rotenberg, MD, Ph D.   Is your memory getting worse?   Recognition memory and the medial temporal lobe: a new perspective by Larry R. Squire, John T. Wixted¶ and Robert E. Clark   Maturation of White Matter is Associated with the Development of Cognitive Functions during Childhood by Zoltan Nagy, Helena Westerberg, and Torkel Klingberg