Memory improvement has been referred to as “one of the world’s oldest professions.” While the practice of revving up our recall has been around since ancient times, scientific evidence for the impact of such training on memory performance has not.  Now, as baby boomers age into “senior moments” and the new brain fitness market emerges as a result, research interest in proving the utility of memory training is likewise on the move.

Of course, memory training has been the subject of many studies over the past several decades. However, most of those studies were small interventional research trials done in a lab or classroom. In addition, many of the ways we train ourselves to remember better don’t really need to be studied; Do we really require proof that lists help us remember what we need to do, or that keeping a calendar will boost our memory for appointments?

Recently several studies have been released that look at the value of memory training. They give us some interesting new reasons why we should all be training our memories, such as:

• Using a strategy can help us remember better. Researchers in the ACTIVE trial, the largest study to date on memory training, found that folks who used a strategy to “cluster” words they had to learn and remember (such as learning them in order, or by a common semantic theme) performed significantly better in remembering the words than folks who did not.

• Taking a memory class can improve our recall and confidence in our memory. A recent UCLA study found that participants in a 6-week class on memory and brain health did better on tests of verbal recall and had greater memory self-efficacy. This study is actually a favorite here at Memory Arts as it further confirms earlier findings of the benefit of courses such as our own Total Memory Workout.

• Memory training works. A recent meta-analysis (Gross, Rebok et al., in press) looking at 46 eligible studies on memory training published between 1967 and 2008 found that memory training has a significant effect on performance. The analysis further demonstrated that the number of strategies trained for was the most robust predictor of impact of the training. This finding strengthens the case for learning more than one way to remember (since we use different strategies in different situations).

So yes, the latest research shows that memory training does really work. And while we may have known so all along based on previous findings and our own experience, it is nice to know that the science continues to support all that we do to remember better.

What is it about a poem? We seem to have fallen out of the habit of reading, studying, let alone writing poetry. Yet there can be nothing quite like a stanza of fine poetic prose to bring us back to a moment, move us to tears, or force us to think about something twice.

April is National Poetry Month, and a good time for us to reflect on why poetry is good for our minds (and for our souls, but that we’ll have to leave for later). Poetry is just one of the many different, often unexpected ways we can keep our brains challenged and vibrant. Numerous studies have shown that intellectually engaging activities such as reading or writing poetry can be critical to maintaining our mental acuity and potentially reducing our risk for dementia over our lifetimes. While many activities can provide us with the “stretch” we need to stay sharp and ward off memory loss, engaging with poetic verse is one of my personal favorites.

Why is poetry good for our brains? First, poetry engages our minds. Often we read passively or simply to learn what we need to know. We cannot do this with a poem. By its very nature, a good poem asks us to delve a bit deeper to best discern its intention.  Second, poetry gets our creative juices flowing. Whether we read or even choose to write verse, poetry forces us to think out of our own box or experience. Finally, since poems come in all sizes, we can all find a poem to engage with no matter how short we are on time, making it an intellectual exercise that fits all time budgets.

Dr. Milton Ehrlich is a clinical psychologist who has in recent years become a prolific poet. Now 80 year old, Dr. Ehrlich first began writing poems when he began to work part-time at age 70, leaving him with more time to pursue what had always been an interest he had limited opportunity to explore earlier. “I’m now passionate about trying to master the craft of writing poems” writes Dr. Ehrlich. “I am always working on a poem and seem to crank out a new poem almost every week. I think about it all the time. Some would call it a mad obsession.” Ehrlich’s body of work is quite varied, but reflects a comfort in exploring our inner psychic world, with all its contradictions and conflicts, yet bound by a wisdom and integrity reached through experience.  “Writing a poem that works always stems from the unconscious. When the reader is moved, the poem succeeds.” Dr. Ehrlich has published over 50 poems and three books of his poetry, including his latest collection, “Trying in Vain to Remember Who I Am.” With his permission, I am happy to share with you one of his recent poems:

      VINTAGE LOVERS           

We keep each other warm

Bound together by the rich loam

Of collective memory

Libidinal heat still radiates

Touches that could melt a glacier

Glow red with warmth from a setting sun

With tender words and no apology

Refugees of aging examine

The geology of bodies gone awry

Old age is skating over thin ice

Marinated souls move

In slow synchrony

When remaining days are few

They climb over dusty books

And read to each other

Worn out bodies bend, break, and fall apart

These are the cracks

That let the light shine through

May National Poetry Month, Dr. Ehrlich’s work and his example of a “mad obsession” explored later in life be an inspiration to all of us looking to use such creative outlets to keep our minds vibrant and keen.

To learn more about the poetry of Dr. Milton Ehrlich, visit his website at www.milton.ehrlich.com. You can also view his books of poetry by clicking here.

Vintage Lovers^© Milton Ehrlich 2012. Reprinted with permission.

This piece was previously published on Dr. Green’s column for the Huffington Post.

As an expert in memory loss, I have with my colleagues seen many cases of dementia where the cause is unknown and the course is inevitably and regrettably progressive. From time to time, however, our clinical evaluation will reveal a possible reversible cause of the symptoms, where treatment of the underlying issue – a thyroid imbalance, depression or vitamin deficiency – restores the patient’s thinking and memory.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) is a rare but reversible cause of memory loss. NPH is caused by abnormal levels of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain, which puts pressure on the brain, causing memory loss, gait imbalance, and incontinence.  While the causes of NPH are unknown, we can see an increase in risk with age, head trauma and infection. NPH is treated by a minor surgical procedure that places a shunt to help drain the excess cerebral spinal fluid. In many cases, the recovery of memory and other functioning is complete if not significant. Because of the reversibility of NPH, it is an important diagnosis we look for in any evaluation for memory loss.

In 1994, Beverly Jablons, a talented author, intellectual and vivacious woman whom I was lucky enough to have as my mother-in-law, hit her head in a fall. While initially she seemed to escape severe injury, she soon began to have trouble with her balance. Over the following years she grew progressively worse, was confined to a wheelchair and had trouble communicating. While her evaluation was complicated by many factors, in the end, she was diagnosed with NPH and had surgery to place a shunt. Beverly made an almost complete recovery, and went on to have 8 very full years in which she wrote (including a piece in the New York Times about her experience), traveled, enjoyed her family, and lived life very fully. Beverly passed away two years ago while she was sitting at her desk working on her memoirs. Today would have been her 87^th birthday.

One of the things that mattered to Beverly most in the years after her illness was raising public awareness about NPH. Just before her death, she wrote a column for my blog about her illness and recovery.  In honor of her birthday, I share that with you here:

“Once upon a time I was a vegetable – and not the edible kind. It was August 1994 and I fell down a long flight of stone steps unwillingly and inadvertently.  I rolled and bounced like a beach ball and finally cracked the back of my head on the last step. Such things have been known to happen.

Crowds gathered, an ambulance was called and a resident at the hospital examined me and determined that I did not suffer from concussion, no bones were broken and I could be taken home. However, it would be wise to watch me closely, he told my friends.

One didn’t have to watch too closely to observe the deterioration of my mobility, cognizance, bodily functions and speech.

Over a period of 8 years, seven neurologists could not make a diagnosis and seven MRIs revealed nothing. Nor could an acupuncturist, a physiatrist, nor a psychiatrist (although she said unequivocally that it was not emotional but physical).

That I wound up in a wheelchair was not as important to my lifestyle as the fact that I couldn’t tell a story, or concentrate enough to read intelligently. I couldn’t finish my sentences and, most frightening, I could not retrieve words I searched for. Did I mention that I’m a published writer? Well, this is what I do. That is who I am.

Just as my family was about to give up and just as I was described by an acquaintance as “totally out of it,” an eighth neurologist diagnosed my case, identifying my condition as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and recommended surgery, shunts inserted to reroute the flow of fluid that was causing pressure on my brain. It’s assumed it resulted from the blow on the head in 1994.

After years in a wheelchair, I have to admit I do use a cane – but I don’t care! My cognizance is back, my comprehension is back, my words are back, I am writing a book, my brain is functioning, I’m 85 now and alive again. Thank you for asking!”

For more information about Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, visit this page from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

What simple steps can we take right now to make things more memory-able? Dr. Green joined Bill Moller of WGN in Chicago this past weekend to speak with his listeners about just that. They had a great time talking about a whole range of memory topics, including why we confuse our kids’ names, how computer training exercises benefit our brain’s performance, and why getting regular exercise is so critical to our brain health.

You can listen to the podcast by clicking here.

Heard the podcast and want more information about the things Dr. Green talked about?

• For information about Total Memory Workout Classes in the Chicago area, contact us at info@totalbrainhealth.com.

• To see the Good Thinking Kit and learn more about Marbles the Brain Store, click here.

• And to see Dr. Green’s latest book 30 Days to Total Brain Health, click here!

Our Winter 2012 issue of our The Brain Buzz newsletter was mailed out last week! Did you get your copy? This issue includes:

• A scientific update on the latest research on memory training
• Exciting news about our Total Brain Health coaching program, including a direct link to our TBH Coach application and upcoming training dates
• Lots of news about Memory Arts and what we have planned for 2012

You can take a look at the newsletter by clicking here.

And make sure to share this issue of The Brain Buzz with others you know will find it a great resource for all things brain health!

Happy Monday! Have you ever noticed that your performance can shift over the work day? Perhaps you are an early bird, sharp as a tack first thing in the morning, who needs an extra cup of coffee to then get through the afternoon. Or a late gamer, who really gets going after lunch.

These rhythms of performance are natural and expected. Studies have shown that we experience different patterns of attention and mental ability over the course of the day.  We can expect to feel sharper and more on task in the morning, with a slight dip in our ability mid-afternoon. The later part of the day can find us more toned down and better able to work on more routine or collaborative tasks. Our own personal patterns are then superimposed over this natural rhythm, based for example on our sleep habits or caffeine intake!

Think today about how you can plan to use this natural rhythm of performance to your advantage. If you find that you are more alert earlier in the day, make sure to regularly set aside time to work on tasks that require your focus in the morning. Schedule meetings for collaborative work or more routine tasks for the afternoon.

Want to learn more about the natural rhythms of our daily sharpness and how to use them to your advantage at work? Check out my recent appearance on CNBC to discuss the “8 Times a Day You Are Naturally Brilliant.”