Page 15 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

Page 4

IQ should have been able to ace the tests, including the memory component, without the slightest
difficulty. When the frontline mechanism for memory fails, highly intelligent people like Mrs.
Kohlberg are capable of bringing into play a number of alternate brain circuits to make up for the
deficit, and this can deceive the doctor into thinking that there is no risk of dementia. I was afraid
that her test results showed this had begun to happen. I also gave extra weight to her husband's report
that she had become confused at a friend's house.

To the best of my ability, I conveyed the ambiguity of the test results to Frieda Kohlberg and her
husband.

‘‘I'm not at all worried about my memory. I feel fine, there's nothing wrong with my head. I'm not

a crazy person,” she insisted. “So I don't see why I need to come back anymore.”
Her reaction was not a good sign, because denial of memory loss when it actually exists often
indicates that the patient is crossing the bridge from mild memory loss to early Alzheimer's disease.
Her husband remained concerned and convinced her to come back for follow-up testing every six
months. To my dismay, and her husband's, her memory steadily worsened over the next two years
until she met clinical diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease. At that time, there were no
worthwhile treatment options for this dreaded illness, and eventually she needed round-the-clock
nursing care at home. Her husband was emphatic that she never be placed in an institution of any
type, and that he himself would do everything possible to keep her at home until the very end, no
matter what toll it took on his own life. I decided to support his decision, even though I usually
advise family members to consider reasonable alternative living situations if the burden of caring for
a patient with advanced dementia becomes overwhelming.

Mild Memory Loss: What Does It Mean?

I learned a lot from these two patients of mine. They highlight the difficulty in interpreting the
meaning of mild memory loss that usually develops as you grow older. Sometimes it is benign and
does not progress, but at other times it is the first sign of dementia. These clinical experiences led me
to study early diagnostic markers for Alzheimer's disease in people with mild memory loss. But after
conducting extensive research funded by the National Institutes of Health, I still have more questions
than answers. Although