Memory Loss: 5 Myths About How The Brain Retains Information And Remembers
The human brain is one of the most-studied subjects by scientists, but we still understand so little about its ways and workings — and memory’s relationship with aging is especially mysterious.
Every minute in the United States, another person is diagnosed with the progressive, life-threatening brain disorder Alzheimer’s. The disease is an irreversible disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and results in brain damage a decade before memory and cognitive problems occur, according to the National Institute on Aging.
We’ve rounded and debunked up some myths you’ve probably heard about memory loss.
Read: How Human Memory Works: Why The Brain Remembers And Forgets, Plus 3 Ways To Improve Memory
MYTH: MEMORY IS A LIMITED RESOURCE
Your brain’s storage capacity is virtually unlimited, Scientific American reported. The more you work your brain, the stronger and healthier it actually becomes.
MYTH: ONLY OLDER PEOPLE GET ALZHEIMER'S
Alzheimer's can strike people in their 30s, 40s and even 50s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, which is called younger-onset Alzheimer's.
MYTH: MEMORY LOSS IS A NATURAL PART OF AGING
As people age, it's normal to have occasional memory problems, the Association reported.
MYTH: MEMORIES RESIDE IN A SPECIFIC PART OF THE BRAIN
Certain areas of the brain are associated with memory, like the hippocampus, but they are not localized to a single place in the brain. According to the University of Texas, any given memory is deconstructed and distributed in different parts of the brain.
MYTH: DAILY SUDOKU AND CROSSWORD PUZZLES KEEP YOUR MEMORY SHARP
“If you do the daily Sudoku, you’ll get very good at Sudoku — but little else,” according to Be Brain Fit. The brain learns from activities that are new and complex.
Read more:
Memory Recall: How The Brain Stores And Unlocks Information In The Mind
Hack Your Memory With Mnemonic Devices: Shortcuts Like ‘ROYGBIV’ Work Faster Than Flashcards