TIPS: Memory Boosters...part 1

SLEEPING

FRIDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A 45-minute midday nap can help boost your memory and remember facts, but only if you learned them well in the first place, a new study suggests.

This type of memory is called "declarative memory" and applies to standard textbook learning and knowledge, in contrast to "procedural memory," which applies to skills. Sleep appears to help "set" these declarative memories and make them easier to recall, the researchers said.

"Sleep appears to have an impact on what is learned well, but not so much when one is not motivated to learn," said lead researcher Matthew A. Tucker, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School's Center for Sleep and Cognition.

For the study, 33 people were trained with certain declarative memory tasks. After the training, 16 took a non-REM nap, while 17 stayed awake and watched a movie. Later the same day, all the participants were tested. The tests included memorizing words, memorizing a maze and memorizing a complex line drawing. Tucker's team found that over three very different declarative memory tasks, taking a nap improved performance compared with staying awake. However, napping only worked for people who had really learned the task well in the first place.

"The nap group performed better overall than the awake group, but the difference wasn't significant," Tucker said. "However, when we looked at individual performance during training, we found those who did better during training benefited from napping," he said.

In addition, people appeared to perform well on one task only, but not all three, Tucker said. "There is likely a basic level of learning that has to be attained before sleep can have an impact on performance," he said.

Tucker thinks that taking a nap may actually improve one's memory of facts if one is motivated to learn. "There is a lot of data starting to come in that there are benefits from naps on memory," he said.

Sara Mednick, an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego's Laboratory of Sleep and Behavioral Neuroscience, said the new study is further proof of the role of sleep on memory and learning.

"This paper is further evidence of how sleep, specifically naps, can be a tool for memory consolidation," she said. "Interestingly, the data shows that not all subjects utilize sleep for consolidation to a similar extent."

BACOPA

Q:What you can tell me about bacopa? I first read about it as a treatment for memory problems. Do you know anything about its effectiveness in treating memory problems or what the recommended dosage should be?
A:Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) is an herb native to India that has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine to enhance memory, learning and concentration and also to treat anxiety, heart problems, digestive disorders, asthma, and bronchitis. Most of the research on bacopa has been in animals, but a few small studies on humans have also been done.

The single study I've been able to find on bacopa's effect on memory was a small, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week trial conducted in Australia with 46 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60, divided into two groups. The volunteers in one group were given 300 milligrams of bacopa daily, and the others received a placebo. Prior to the study, the researchers tested all the volunteers to assess their verbal learning abilities, memory and speed of information processing. The tests were repeated five and 12 weeks after the study began. The researchers noted a significant improvement among the volunteers in the bacopa group compared to those in the placebo group.

A review article of some 38 scientific studies of bacopa was published in the March, 2004, issue of the journal Alternative Medicine Review, and noted two small studies that demonstrated an improvement in cognitive function in children as a result of taking bacopa. A single small-scale human study also found a decrease in anxiety symptoms among patients treated with bacopa.

Bacopa is now being widely promoted as a treatment for memory problems, but I would recommend more proven protective strategies. Keep your mind active by reading newspapers and books, doing crossword puzzles, playing musical instruments, participating in ongoing education, and learning a new language. As far as supplements to enhance memory are concerned, the ones listed below have been studied more thoroughly than bacopa:

Ginkgo biloba. This well-studied botanical remedy increases blood flow to the head, has a reputation as a memory-enhancing agent and may slow the progression of dementia in early onset Alzheimer's disease. You probably won't notice any effects for six to eight weeks. (Look for products standardized to 24 percent ginkgo flavone glycosides and 6 percent terpene lactones; the dose is 60 to 120 milligrams twice a day with food.) Ginkgo has low toxicity, although it may cause mild stomach irritation.

Acetyl-L-carnitine (also called ALC or ALCAR) is an amino acid derivative. Human clinical studies of this compound are currently underway, and the early evidence from animal trials is encouraging. Many people take ALC as a cognitive enhancer. The dose is 500-1,000 milligrams twice a day on an empty stomach. It is nontoxic, but this is an expensive regimen.

Phosphatidyl serine, or PS. A naturally occurring lipid that is a component of cell membranes, PS is considered a brain-cell nutrient. Human studies have reported positive effects on memory and concentration; PS may improve cognitive function in normal adults and may help reverse age-related cognitive decline. The supplement form, derived from soybeans, is readily available, but fairly expensive. The starting dose is 100 milligrams two or three times a day; if this produces positive benefits after a month or more, it may be possible to go on a lower maintenance dose. It is nontoxic.

NICE TOPIC! .....NOW I WILL SLEEP TO GAIN MEMORY AGAIN!!!!

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Thanks doc jkakashi 4 info i think i need to do that how about my 96 yrs old employer what can u advice? Coz she always forgot 2 gve my salary.