Memory impairment

Memory impairment is a pathological condition associated with the inability to fully store, accumulate and use information obtained in the process of perceiving the surrounding world.

Memory impairment (episodic or permanent) is one of the most common disorders, familiar to almost everyone and capable of significantly worsening the quality of life. According to statistics, about a quarter of the entire population of the Earth suffers from regular memory impairment (to varying degrees of severity).

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Causes memory disorders

Memory impairment may be associated with a variety of factors. The most common cause of this condition is asthenic syndrome, associated with general psycho-emotional overstrain, anxiety and depression. In addition, memory impairment due to asthenia may also be observed during recovery from somatic diseases.

But memory disorders can also have more serious origins: organic brain damage and mental illness.

So, the following main causes of memory impairment can be identified:

• general asthenic conditions as a result of stress and overwork, somatic diseases and seasonal hypovitaminosis;
• alcoholism: memory impairment due not only to damage in the structures of the brain, but also to general disorders associated with the toxic effect of alcohol on the liver and concomitant hypovitaminosis;
• acute and chronic disorders of cerebral circulation: atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels, stroke, spasm of cerebral vessels and other age-related disorders;
• traumatic brain injury;
• brain tumors;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• mental illness;
• congenital mental retardation, both associated with genetic disorders (for example, Down syndrome) and due to pathological conditions during pregnancy and childbirth.

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Symptoms

Symptoms of memory impairment can develop suddenly or progress slowly.

Memory impairments can be quantitative in nature. Then the following symptoms are observed:

• Amnesia: a complete lack of memory for events that occurred during a certain period of time. In relation to the traumatic event, it can be retrograde, anterograde, and retroanterograde. Total loss of almost all memories can also be rare.
• Hypermnesia: an abnormal enhancement of memory, as a result of which a person is able to remember and reproduce many events and information over a long period of time.
• Hypomnesia: partial memory loss (can be temporary or permanent).

Depending on which component of memory is affected to a greater extent, the following symptoms may be observed:

• Fixation amnesia: the ability to record events and new information that are currently occurring is partially impaired or completely lost.
• Anecphoria: difficulty recalling previously acquired information in a timely manner.

With regard to the object of memory to which memory impairment is directed, symptoms of partial deletion of information may be observed:

• Affectogenic amenesia: only particularly significant memories that have caused strong negative experiences are deleted from memory.
• Hysterical amnesia: partial removal of unpleasant and compromising events from a person's memory.
• Scotomization: memories are removed partially, in fragments, but without being linked to any strong emotional experiences.

Symptoms of qualitative memory impairment may also be observed:

• Pseudoreminescence: this is a condition when gaps in memory are replaced by memories of other events that also really happened to a person, but at a different time.
• Confabulations: the patient replaces memory lapses with fictitious events. Moreover, such fictitious events are absolutely unreal and fantastic.
• Cryptomnesia: missing memories are filled in with events previously heard, gleaned from books, newspapers, television and other sources, or even seen in dreams. It is even possible to appropriate authorship of works of art and scientific discoveries.
• Echomnesia: the perception of what is happening now as having happened before.

Memory impairment in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia not only have memory impairment, but also a general disorder of intellectual processes – the so-called schizophrenic dementia. Its key feature is its functional nature and the absence of any organic brain damage. In these patients, it is not the intellect that suffers, but the ability to use it. Also, dementia in schizophrenia is transient and can completely regress with successful correction of the exacerbation of the disease.

In general, the memory of patients with schizophrenia is preserved for a long time practically unchanged. However, short-term memory and perception of current information suffer significantly. This condition is caused by impaired concentration and a decrease in the motivational component of memory.

Also, patients with schizophrenia suffer from the process of generalizing received information and associative memory. This is caused by the emergence of many random and non-specific associations that reflect too general features of concepts and images.

A characteristic feature of schizophrenic memory disorder is that a kind of “double memory” takes place: against the background of the gross destruction of some memories, other aspects of memory are preserved unchanged.

Memory impairment after stroke

During a stroke, a cerebral artery is blocked by a thrombus, or the brain tissue is compressed by blood flowing from a ruptured artery. Memory impairment may often be observed after a stroke. In the initial stage (immediately after the stroke), general memory disorders may be observed in the form of a complete disappearance of memories of the period of time preceding the disease. In rare cases (with extensive strokes), total transient amnesia may be observed, when patients cannot even recognize close people and other familiar concepts.

Gradually, the general phenomena pass and memory disorders associated with damage to a particular area of the brain responsible for a certain component of memory come to the fore. The disorders can be very diverse. For example, modality-specific memory disorders may occur (difficulty in perceiving information by one of the analyzers), short-term memory deteriorates, and difficulties arise in reproducing previously acquired information. Problems with concentration (absent-mindedness) and deterioration of the motivational component of memory are very often observed.

Despite the seriousness of memory impairment after a stroke, with adequate rehabilitation, the brain's thinking functions can be restored almost completely over time.

Memory impairment in children

Memory disorders in children are associated with both congenital mental retardation and conditions acquired in childhood. Such problems can manifest themselves both in the form of deterioration in the processes of memorization and reproduction of information (hypomnesia), and in the complete loss of individual episodes of memories (amnesia). Amnesia in children can occur as a result of injuries, poisoning (including alcohol), comatose states and mental illnesses.

But, most often, children experience partial memory impairment due to hypovitaminosis, asthenic conditions (often caused by frequent acute respiratory viral infections), unfavorable psychological climate in the family and children's group. Such impairments are combined with lack of perseverance, problems maintaining attention.

Children complaining of memory impairment often have problems not only with mastering the school curriculum, but also in games and communication with peers.

Memory in children with visual impairments

More than 80% of information a person receives through vision. Therefore, visual impairments lead to significant deterioration of memory processes, especially in childhood.

Such children are characterized by a decrease in the volume and speed of memorization, faster forgetting of the learned material due to the lower emotional significance of non-visual images. The average number of repetitions of information required for effective memorization is almost twice as much as that of a sighted child.

In the process of adaptation to visual impairments, the verbal-logical component of memorization is strengthened, the volume of short-term auditory memory increases. At the same time, motor memory deteriorates.

Memory impairment in the elderly

In old age, memory impairment is usually associated with age-related changes in blood vessels and deterioration of cerebral circulation. Also, during the aging process, metabolic processes in nerve cells deteriorate. A separate serious cause of memory impairment in the elderly is Alzheimer's disease.

Memory impairment is reported by 50 to 75% of elderly people. Memory loss and forgetfulness are the main symptoms of age-related memory impairment. At first, short-term memory for recent events worsens. Patients experience fear, self-doubt, and depression.

As a rule, during normal aging, memory function declines very slowly and even in old age does not lead to significant problems in everyday life. Active mental activity (starting from a young age) and a healthy lifestyle help to slow down this process.

But if memory impairment in old age progresses more intensively and the patient does not receive adequate treatment, senile dementia may develop. It manifests itself in the almost complete loss of the ability to remember current information and the inability to even perform ordinary everyday activities.

Memory impairment syndromes

Memory disorders are very diverse and can be combined with other lesions of higher brain functions. The following memory disorder syndromes are distinguished:

• Korsakov's syndrome. The ability to record current events is mainly impaired. Other higher functions of the brain remain unchanged or suffer slightly, there are no pronounced behavioral disorders. It mainly develops as a result of alcoholism, trauma and brain tumors.
• Dementia. Both short-term and long-term memory processes are severely disrupted. At the same time, abstract thinking suffers and the integrity of the personality is destroyed. It develops due to age-related changes in the cerebral blood supply and as a result of Alzheimer's disease.
• Senile memory impairment. Severe memory impairment in old age, exceeding the normal limits for a certain age. However, only memory functions suffer, but there is no pronounced social maladaptation.
• Dysmetabolic encephalopathy. Occurs with chronic pulmonary, hepatic and renal failure, prolonged hypoglycemia. Also caused by deep hypovitaminosis and intoxication. Has a benign course and regresses on its own when the provoking factor is eliminated.
• Psychogenic memory disorders. Combined with memory and intellectual impairment. Occurs as a consequence of severe forms of depression. With adequate treatment, depressions can also be regressed.
• Transient memory impairment. A short-term memory disorder (memory lapses) in which only memories of a certain period of time are lost. No other disorders of higher brain functions are observed. Occurs as a result of craniocerebral trauma, epilepsy, and alcohol abuse.

Violation of the motivational component of memory

As in any other intellectual activity, in the process of memorization one of the key roles is played by a person’s understanding of the meaning and necessity of their actions – the motivational component.

The importance of the motivational component of memory was experimentally proven in the 1920s in experiments investigating the phenomenon of better memorization of unfinished actions: subjects more clearly recorded unfinished actions, since there was a need to complete them later. This was motivation.

The motivational component of memory is impaired in conditions of depressive and asthenic states, when a general slowness of thought processes is observed. Motivations are especially strongly reduced in patients with schizophrenia. And in those suffering from epilepsy, on the contrary, the motivational component of memory is significantly enhanced.

Qualitative memory impairments

In qualitative memory disorders, there is a distortion, twisting and distortion of the remembered information. Such disorders are called paramnesia.

The following qualitative memory impairments are observed:

• Pseudoreminescence is a condition when gaps in memory are replaced by memories of other events that also really happened to a person, but at a different time. Such "memories" usually occur in patients suffering from fixation amnesia.
• Confabulations are another type of substitution "memories". In this case, the patient replaces memory lapses with fictitious events. Moreover, such fictitious events are absolutely unreal and fantastic. Confabulations indicate not only fixation amnesia, but also the loss of critical perception of what is happening.
• Cryptomnesia – with this type of paramnesia, the patient fills in missing memories with events previously heard, gleaned from books, newspapers, television and other sources, or even seen in a dream. The ability to identify the source of information is lost. The patient can even appropriate the creation of works of art and the authorship of scientific discoveries.
• Echomnesia is the perception of what is happening at the moment as something that happened before. But unlike deja vu, there is no flash of insight or sense of fear.

Impaired immediate memory

Immediate memory is the ability of an individual to record and recreate information immediately upon its receipt.

The most common disorders of immediate memory include progressive amnesia and Korsakoff's syndrome.

• Korsakov's syndrome is characterized by loss of immediate memory of current events. At the same time, previously recorded information about the past is preserved.

Due to difficulties in directly recording incoming information, patients lose the ability to orient themselves. Defects in memories are filled with real events from their own more distant past, invented or taken from other sources of information.

• Progressive amnesia combines loss of immediate memory and gradually progressive loss of memories from the past. Such patients lose orientation in the surrounding space and time, confuse the sequence of events that occurred earlier. Long-past events are mixed up with events of the current period. This type of memory disorder occurs in old age.

Impaired mediated memory

Mediated memory is characterized by the use of a previously known concept (mediator) for a better fixation of new information. Thus, memorization is based on associations of the received information with previously familiar concepts.

Impairment of mediated memory is clearly seen in patients with congenital mental retardation (oligophrenia). The main reason for this phenomenon is the difficulty in identifying key features in the information being remembered to associate them with previously learned concepts.

In people suffering from epilepsy and other organic brain damage, problems with associative memorization, on the contrary, arise due to excessive attention to details and the inability to identify the general features of the object of memorization.

Difficulties in mediated memory are also observed in patients with schizophrenia. This is due to the arbitrary endowment of new or previously known concepts with uncharacteristic features, which in turn sharply reduces the value of such an association.

Forms

According to quantitative characteristics, the following are distinguished:

1. Amnesia: a complete lack of memory of events that occurred during a certain period of time.
2. Hypomnesia: partial memory loss (can be temporary or permanent).
3. Hypermnesia: an abnormal enhancement of memory, due to which a person is able to remember and reproduce many events and information for a long period. As a rule, the ability to perceive numbers is enhanced.

Amnesia, in turn, can be partial (concerns only a certain period of time) and general (loss of almost all memories).

Types of amnesia:

• Retrograde amnesia: loss of memory for events before the onset of the disease (or injury);
• Anterograde amnesia: loss of memory in the period after the onset of the disease;
• Retroanterograde amnesia: loss of memory in the period before and after the onset of the disease;
• Fixation amnesia: inability to remember current events. However, memory for events of an earlier period is preserved;
• Progressive amnesia: gradual loss of memory, with events that occurred earlier being retained longer;
• Total amnesia: complete loss of all information from memory, including information about oneself;
• Hysterical amnesia: partial removal of unpleasant and compromising events from a person's memory.

Separately, qualitative memory impairments are distinguished, as a result of which both the temporal perception of events that actually took place is disrupted, and memory gaps are filled with fictitious memories.

Modality-specific memory impairments

This is a partial loss of the processes of storing and subsequently reproducing information perceived by only one sensory system (belonging to a specific modality). There are violations of visual-spatial, acoustic, auditory-speech, motor and other types of memory. They arise as a consequence of pathology of the cerebral cortex in the areas of the corresponding analyzers, caused by injuries, tumors or other local effects.

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Modality-nonspecific memory impairments

Modality-nonspecific memory disorders manifest themselves as general damage to all types of memory (regardless of their modality) in the form of difficulties in memorizing, retaining and reproducing current information. Disorders arise both in voluntary and involuntary perception of information.

They develop when the functioning of the subcortical structures responsible for maintaining the tone of the cortical parts of the brain is disrupted. The main cause is organic brain damage due to circulatory disorders, intoxication, and Alzheimer's disease.

Impaired memory and attention

The ability to concentrate plays one of the primary roles in the process of memorizing information. Therefore, attention disorders lead to deterioration in memorizing current information and events.

The following attention disorders are distinguished:

• Attention instability: rapid switching of attention, inability to concentrate on a certain task for a long time, distractibility. More common in children.
• Slow switching: the patient experiences difficulties when distracted from the current topic, activity, he constantly returns to it. Typical for patients with organic brain damage.
• Insufficient concentration: attention is scattered, difficulties with long-term concentration. Occurs in asthenic conditions.

Depending on the cause of occurrence, a distinction is made between functional and organic memory and attention disorders.

Functional disorders develop due to mental overload and fatigue, exhaustion, stress and negative emotions. Such problems occur at any age and, as a rule, go away without any treatment.

Organic memory and attention disorders develop due to damage to the cerebral cortex by various pathological processes. They are more common in older people and are persistent.

Impaired memory and intelligence

Intelligence is a complex concept that includes not only the ability to memorize information (memory), but also the ability to integrate it and use it to solve specific problems (abstract and concrete). Naturally, when there is a violation of intelligence, the memory function suffers.

Memory and intellectual impairments can be acquired or congenital.

Dementia is an acquired progressive deterioration of memory and intelligence, leading to the patient's inability to perform not only social functions, but also to complete disability. It occurs with organic pathology of the brain and some mental illnesses.

Acquired disorders (oligophrenia) are characterized by brain damage in the period up to the first three years of a person's life. It is expressed in underdevelopment of the psyche as a whole and social maladjustment. It can be in a mild form (debility), moderate (imbecility) and severe (idiocy).

Visual memory impairment

Visual memory is a special type of memory responsible for the recording and reproduction of visual images and the use of such images for communication.

Visual memory impairment may occur as a result of destruction of the cerebral cortex in the occipital region responsible for memorizing visual images. This usually occurs as a result of traumatic impact or tumor processes.

Visual memory disorders manifest themselves in the form of a disorder of visual perception of the surrounding world and the inability to recognize previously visible objects. Optic-amnestic aphasia may also occur: the patient cannot name the objects shown to him, but recognizes them and understands their purpose.

Memory impairment

There are three processes that perform the memory function: memorization of information, its storage and reproduction.

Problems with memorization occur due to a disturbance of attention and concentration on incoming information. The main causes of them are overwork and lack of sleep, abuse of alcohol and psychostimulants, endocrine disorders. Such processes do not affect emotionally significant information.

Information storage disorder occurs when the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex are damaged. The most common cause is Alzheimer's disease. With such a disorder, incoming information cannot be stored in memory at all.

Disorders of information reproduction occur mainly in old age as a result of a disturbance of the brain's nutrition. In such a case, the information is stored in memory, but difficulties arise in its reproduction at the right moment. However, such information can be recalled when a reminding association arises or spontaneously. Such disorders are rarely significant, but they significantly impede learning.

Impaired short-term memory

Memory functionally and anatomically consists of short-term and long-term components. Short-term memory has a relatively small volume and is designed to retain semantic images of received information for a period of several seconds to three days. During this period, the information is processed and transferred to long-term memory, which has a virtually unlimited volume.

Short-term memory is the most vulnerable component of the memory system. It plays a key role in memorization. When it weakens, the ability to record current events decreases. Such patients become forgetful, making it difficult to perform even simple everyday tasks. The ability to learn is also greatly reduced. Deterioration of short-term memory is observed not only in old age, but also as a result of overwork, depression, cerebrovascular diseases, intoxication (including regular alcohol abuse).

Temporary amnesia due to severe alcohol intoxication, craniocerebral trauma, and other conditions that lead to eclipse of consciousness is also caused by a transient complete shutdown of short-term memory. In this case, events that did not have time to move into long-term memory disappear.

Complete loss of short-term memory (fixation amnesia) is observed in Korsakov's syndrome. It is typical for dementia and advanced stages of alcoholism. Such patients completely lose the ability to remember current events and are therefore completely socially maladapted. At the same time, events preceding the onset of fixation amnesia are retained in memory.

Auditory-verbal memory disorders

The peculiarity of the functioning of the auditory analyzer is such that for adequate perception of the meaning of heard speech, structures are needed that retain information while its content is being analyzed. Such structures are located in the left temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The destruction of these structures leads to a violation of auditory-speech memory - the syndrome of acoustic-amnestic aphasia.

The syndrome is characterized by difficulty in perceiving oral speech, while maintaining the effectiveness of other channels of receiving information (for example, through the visual analyzer). Thus, the patient will remember two of four words heard in a row, and only the first and last (edge effect). At the same time, words perceived by ear can be replaced by words similar in meaning or sound.

Impaired auditory memory leads to significant difficulties in oral verbal communication and the inability to normally understand and reproduce auditory speech.

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Diagnostics memory disorders

The primary stage of memory impairment research is anamnesis collection – identifying complaints and other information that the patient can provide independently. Also, during a free conversation, the doctor can roughly determine which component of memory is affected.

Next, we proceed to detailed testing. There are many tests that allow us to determine the types of memory disorders. The most common of them are:

1. Short-term memory testing: repeating words out loud immediately after they are pronounced by the tester. The norm is 100% repetition.
2. Ten-word method: ten simple words that have no connection with each other are voiced. After that, the patient is asked to repeat them in any order. Then, the doctor again says the same words, and the subject tries to repeat them. This cycle is repeated up to 5-6 times. Normally, at least half of the words should be remembered during the first repetition, and after the fifth repetition – all.
3. A study of mediated memory using the pictogram method: the subject is told 10-15 abstract concepts, and he draws a simple picture on a piece of paper, which is designed to help restore this word in memory. Then, using the drawing, you need to reproduce the words. The same reproduction is repeated after 1 hour. Normally, you need to reproduce 100% of the words immediately and at least 90% after an hour.
4. Memory studies using texts: a simple story text of 10-12 sentences is used. This makes it possible to study visual (the patient reads the story himself) and auditory memory separately (the subject is read the text). Then they are immediately asked to retell it: normally there can be no more than 1-2 errors. After another 1 hour, they are asked to repeat the retelling. The norm is no more than 3-4 inaccuracies.

Further, instrumental methods of examining brain functions can be used, for example, an electroencephalogram. It allows determining the activity of certain areas of the brain at rest and under load. Computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain are also widely used.

Since memory impairment is often a secondary process, research is also aimed at identifying the somatic disease that led to this condition. General analyses and instrumental examinations are used here.

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Treatment memory disorders

In choosing the tactics of treating memory disorders, the primary role is played by identifying the cause of such problems. After all, memory loss is always a secondary consequence of the development of many somatic or mental diseases and conditions. Therefore, without adequate therapy of primary diseases, it is impossible to achieve any lasting result in correcting memory disorders.

Treatment of such patients should always be selected individually, taking into account the type and nature of the disorder, aimed at correcting the diseases that led to memory loss, and designed for long-term, and sometimes lifelong, therapy.

In any case, self-medication is unacceptable, since at the initial stage many serious diseases (including those accompanied by memory impairment) have fairly harmless symptoms. Only a specialist can recognize such diseases and prescribe effective therapy. Therefore, early treatment by a doctor contributes to the effective correction of memory impairment and prevents the development of deep, advanced stages of dementia.

In addition to specific treatment of the pathology that led to memory impairment, general corrective measures aimed at normalizing memory functions are also used in parallel.

Diet and regimen for memory impairment

For patients with memory impairments, it is very important to lead an active lifestyle, maintaining it until old age. Walks in the fresh air, feasible work, sports and other active activities contribute not only to strengthening the general well-being and improving the blood supply to the brain. Such activities are accompanied by receiving and processing a significant amount of information, which in turn helps train memory and attention.

Intellectual activity has a positive effect on a person’s thinking abilities: reading books, printed and electronic media, solving crosswords, and other favorite activities and hobbies.

Maintaining active communication between the patient and relatives and friends, social activity is also very important for strengthening memory, developing its motivational component.

For people suffering from psychogenic memory disorders, a gentle daily routine, avoiding overwork and stressful situations, and correcting the psychological atmosphere at work and in the family are very important. Also very important is a quality, full sleep that corresponds to the individual norm, but not less than 7-8 hours a day.

The diet of patients with memory impairments should be balanced, contain sufficient amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements. Since the human brain consumes about 20% of all energy produced in the body, diets with an excessively low calorie content significantly reduce its performance.

Fatty varieties of sea fish are very useful: salmon, herring and others. They contain a lot of iodine and polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3, which are part of the structure of all nerve cells and improve intellectual abilities. Whole grain products (cereals, bread from coarse grain), nuts, tomatoes, broccoli, pumpkin seeds are also useful.

The drinking regime is very important. It is necessary to drink at least two liters of water per day. Dehydration has a very detrimental effect on the nervous system.

Medication correction of memory disorders

To treat patients suffering from memory disorders, various groups of drugs aimed at correcting the primary disease are primarily used. In addition, there are special medications for memory disorders that directly improve thought processes by influencing the metabolism of the brain. Such drugs are called nootropics,

The most common nootropic drugs are divided into three groups:

• Classic nootropics: drugs that are similar in structure to one of the main mediators of the brain - gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). They directly normalize the metabolism of the brain, improving memory functions and concentration. They are used both in complex therapy after strokes and other cerebrovascular accidents, atherosclerosis, and in healthy people under conditions of excessive mental and psychological stress.

One of the most commonly used drugs in this group is piracetam. It is available both as a 20% injection solution and as 0.4 g tablets. The average daily dose is 2.4 g, divided into 3 doses. Treatment lasts at least three weeks. Side effects of piracetam may include increased excitability or drowsiness, anxiety, and poor sleep.

• Energy metabolism substrates are substances directly involved in providing energy to nerve cells. For example, glutamic acid. Available in 0.25 g tablets. Use in courses of 7-10 days with breaks of 5-7 days. Take 1 g orally 2-3 times a day. Should be used with caution in cases of gastrointestinal diseases and increased excitability.
• Herbal preparations – indirectly improve the metabolism of nerve cells. The most common is bilobil. Taken internally, 1 capsule 3 times a day after meals. The course of treatment is at least 3 months. The drug is usually well tolerated.

Folk recipes to improve memory

Treatment with such methods is rationally used for mild problems caused mainly by stress and fatigue, or as an addition to the main drug therapy.

Here are some of them:

• Honey and onion mixture: Grate the onion and squeeze it to get the juice. Mix 200 ml of juice with the same amount of honey. Use one tablespoon 3 times a day 1 hour before meals.
• Red clover tincture: 40 g of red clover flowers are poured with 0.5 l of vodka. Infuse for 14 days in a dark, cool place. Then strain the tincture. Take 20 ml before lunch. The course of treatment is up to three months.
• A decoction of young pine buds: 1 tbsp of buds per 400 ml of water. Boil for 10 minutes, cool and strain. Take one tablespoon three times a day for a month.

I resort to surgical treatment for memory disorders only in cases where it is necessary to correct the underlying disease that impairs normal brain function: as one of the means of complex treatment of brain tumors, traumatic injuries to the skull and brain, and hemorrhagic strokes.

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Prevention

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle plays a leading role in the prevention and preservation of intellectual abilities: giving up bad habits, playing sports, and timely treatment of somatic diseases (especially cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine).

It is also very important to maintain a rational work and rest regime, normal sleep duration. After all, it is during sleep that the main work of the brain occurs, sorting incoming information, fixing it in long-term memory. Normal sleep should be 7-8 hours a day.

Another important aspect of preventing memory impairment is maintaining normal social activity of the individual, participation in public life and ensuring at least minimal work activity. Maintaining communication with relatives and friends is useful.

Intellectual activities also have a positive effect on a person’s thinking abilities: reading books, printed and electronic media, solving crosswords, having a hobby.

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