Page 134 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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cognitive recovery between episodes, together with clinical plus CT or MRI evidence of multiple
strokes, help make the diagnosis.

Large Strokes

A large stroke is caused by blockage of a major blood vessel, most commonly the middle cerebral
artery that supplies the regions of the brain controlling the motor and sensory systems, with loss of
speech in the case of left-sided stroke. The middle cerebral artery supplies mainly the frontal and
parietal lobes, and an area of the temporal lobe that does not include the hippocampus. Hence a large
stroke causes only partial deficits in memory, primarily due to frontal lobe damage. These memory
deficits can be difficult to assess in a patient with a paralytic stroke who has lost the ability to speak.
Sometimes a large stroke can affect deeper parts of the brain, causing only partial paralysis, with
speech being preserved.

Strokes, whether large or small, are most commonly due to a thrombus, less frequently an
embolus, and rarely hemorrhage. This priority list of likely causes is the driving force behind current
preventive and therapeutic strategies.

An Aspirin a Day?

Several studies involving thousands of people have shown that an aspirin a day reduces the risk of
both strokes and heart attacks. This occurs because of aspirin's anticlotting (anticoagulant), not
painkilling, properties.

So after you make all the recommended lifestyle changes, the question remains: should you
regularly take an aspirin (325 mg) a day? I advise you to take it daily as a good prevention for stroke,
and even heart attacks, especially if you have one or more risk factors like a positive family history
or high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. You need to weigh this against the risk of stomach
irritation and gastrointestinal bleeding; enteric-coated aspirin helps but not always. Some people take
a baby aspirin (81 mg) daily, and this may be almost as good in doing the trick. However, if you
don't have any risk factors for stroke, an aspirin a day is not essential.

Other Anticoagulant Medications to Prevent Stroke

For those who cannot tolerate aspirin, there are prescription medications such as Ticlopidine (Ticlid)
and clopidogrel (Plavix), which