Page 76 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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nosed by brain autopsy) in their old age, compared to nuns who had written essays with high idea
density when they joined the convent.

Does this mean that the template for developing Alzheimer's disease in old age is already set when
we are young? We know that there is a strong genetic component to this disease, but for some reason
it does not show up clinically until we are much older. Could it be that the educational process, and
the additional mental challenges that galvanize us in many of our occupations, can stave off the
illness for years, maybe even an extra decade? If that were true, it would represent one of the most
intriguing interactions between genetics and environment.

But if you step back and think about this issue a little, you will recognize a few flaws in this tale.
First, “idea density” is a poorly studied concept that does not directly follow from education or
intelligence. Second, based on the results of the nuns study, the number of people with Alzheimer's
disease should be far greater in underdeveloped countries with low levels of education and high
levels of illiteracy, but cross-national studies show that this is definitely not the case. Stay tuned as
further research helps to clarify this puzzle.

Techniques to Improve Your Memory

There are many books devoted to memory improvement by using a variety of tricks and techniques. I
will not discuss techniques used by high school and college students to cram for exams, and instead
will focus only on those methods that can help prevent age-related memory loss in people above the
age of forty.

1. Pay attention. Pay attention to what needs to be learned or remembered. This seems obvious,
but it's easy to lose track and forget things when you are pulled in many directions by personal
or career demands. Reducing stress, and making a strong effort to maintain your concentration
whenever necessary, are essential to improving your memory.
2. Heighten your sensory awareness. Heightened sensory awareness is essential to maintaining
peak attention. Auditory memory makes use of the patterns, the rhythms of speech. Simple
phrases, connected words that can be strung into a tune, these are techniques used by
advertisers to zero in on your sensory awareness and get you to remember. The Nike, or
Michael Jordan, phrase “Just do it!” is something most of