Page 129 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power
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CHAPTER 12
Small Strokes, Big Strokes
BLOCKAGE OF THE ARTERIES SUPPLYING THE HEART is the most notorious action of fatty plaques, but
these cholesterol-filled growths occur just as often in the brain. There are many narrow, crooked,
tortuous blood vessels in the brain, and these curves and kinks become the danger points: fatty,
cholesterol-filled plaques stick to the inside walls and grow in size until they slow down blood flow,
then a blood clot gradually forms and eventually causes complete blockage. When their blood supply
is cut off, the nerve cells die due to lack of glucose and oxygen: this is the most common form of
stroke.
Why Preventing Stroke Is So Important
1. Around 2 to 5 percent of people above the age of sixty will suffer a large stroke.
2. Small or ministrokes occur in 10 to 30 percent of people above age sixty. Most ministrokes
occur without any symptoms (“silent” strokes) and are discovered only if a CT or MRI scan is
done.
3. Each stroke, small or large, damages part of the brain permanently. Strokes occurring in the
temporal or frontal lobes, or the pathways connecting them, often lead to memory loss.
Risk Factors for Stroke
High blood pressure
Heart disease
