How a Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Works

mini mental status exam mmse

If you or someone you know is dealing with symptoms of dementia, a doctor may very well bring up testing the patient with a neurological exam called the mini-mental state examination, or the MMSE. This test, also referred to as the Folstein test, is a questionnaire that is used by doctors to test cognitive impairment and to screen for issues such as dementia. It takes about ten minutes and can cover areas such as the person's understanding of orientation, their ... Read More

Memory Loss Caused by Strokes

memory loss caused by strokes

Memory loss can be caused by a variety of things, but when you are dealing with memory loss caused by a stroke, you may have a more serious issue to attend to. According to the National Stroke Association, strokes are the third leading cause of death in Americans, and can cause adult disabilities such as dementia. Strokes can be avoidable--they are typically caused by high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Other dietary causes may be salt intake and high fat intake. ... Read More

What Tests are Used to Determine Causes of Memory Loss?

memory test

When you start to realize you are suffering from memory lapses and significant memory loss, it's time to see a doctor for some neurological exams. By assessing your mental state and memory with neurological exams, a doctor can accurately diagnose any short-term or long-term issues you may be experiencing in terms of your memory. There are many tests that doctors use in order to diagnose memory loss issues and disorders. The most common way of diagnosing issues caused by memory loss, ... Read More

Common Symptoms of Memory Loss

memory loss symptoms

It can be annoying and even a little scary when you forget something important, but it's not uncommon to be a little forgetful from time to time. Forgetting to bring the present to the birthday party, or being unable to recall where you left your car keys are common forms of forgetfulness that we all experience, no matter what age we are. But when is it time to be concerned? What are the most common symptoms of more severe ... Read More

Memory Loss Caused by Meningitis

memory loss

One reason someone could experience memory loss is due to an inflammatory issue called meningitis. Meningitis is defined as inflammation of the membranes that cover your spinal cord and brain. These protective membranes, called "meninges," can become inflamed for a variety of reasons, but is considered a life threatening, medical emergency due to the fact that it can easily effect one's brain and spinal cord due to its proximity. Either way, it is definitely something that should be diagnosed ... Read More

How Can Depression and Other Mental Illnesses Cause Memory Loss?

how depression can cause memory loss

It's nothing new to learn that sadness and stress can lead to depression, but what else does depression and other mental illnesses do to your body? Depression, anxiety, and stress are three of the most typical mental illnesses and disorders that are associated with the loss of memory and decline in memory recall performance. When one is stressed (which occurs typically in those experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms), your body produces the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for ... Read More

Auditory, Visual and Kinesthetic Learners

Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning

There are many different learning styles out there. You yourself may find that you do better at writing down material than you are listening to it, or perhaps you love getting down and dirty and find opportunities to dissect frogs or plants are more fulfilling and memorable to you than a lecture given by your teacher. It’s important to understand that everyone has a different way of learning, and by understanding your learning style, you will be able to better ... Read More

How Does Meditation or Yoga Help Improve Your Memory?

improve memory with meditation

It has been proven over time that stress can cause lapses in memory, and can also cause you to become more forgetful and less accurate in your memory recall. Why is this? Because stress affects certain parts of your brains that will hinder the growth and formation of new neurons, which makes it difficult to retain certain memories. Chronic, high stress levels can affect the brain and cause damage to certain parts of it that will cause degeneration in ... Read More

How Do Doctors Accurately Diagnose Memory Loss?

diagnosing memory loss?

Memory loss and memory lapses, whether short-term or long-term, can be very frustrating for those of us that deal with it. But if you are finding that your memory loss is becoming more permanent than temporary, and is getting progressively worse, it's time to see a doctor for some neurological exams in order to find out what is going on. By catching neurological disorders in the early stages, you can get the treatment you need in order to improve your ... Read More

How Exercise Helps Prevent Memory Loss

memory exercises?

As you age, memory loss is typically inevitable. But among the things that you can do to help prevent memory loss, such as increasing one's vitamin B-12 intake, lowering stress levels and participating in brain-engaging activities, a healthy habit that can also help keep your mind sharp is exercise. Exercise, which is something that everyone should wind into their daily routine, has been clinically proven to help aid in memory loss prevention and to help improve one’s learning abilities. In fact, ... Read More

Understanding Memory – “How” We Forget

how do we forget?

For many of us, the idea of our brain storing all of our memory can be a little difficult to wrap our heads around. However, the mechanics utilized in memory can help us understand exactly "how" we forget things. The storage and recollection of memory is quite a phenomenon that scientists are still in the process of fully comprehending, but they do know a few reasons as to why we forget. One reason is because once information is entered into our ... Read More

Improve Memory With Some Simple Lifestyle Changes

improve memory with lifestyle changes

Want some quick ways to easily reduce your risk for memory loss disorders and mental illnesses? Here are some quick lifestyle changes that you can make in order to salvage those brain cells! Eat Plenty of Fish. By adding more fish products in your diet, whether it be tuna, salmon, or sardines, you will benefit from Omega 3 fatty acids, which are high in DHA. DHA is linked to stimulating brain cells and has been shown to reduce and improve ... Read More

Symptoms of Long Term, Severe Memory Loss

severe, long term memory loss

There are two kinds of memory loss: short-term memory loss and long-term memory loss. Both are extremely important to retain, but long-term memory loss can be more debilitating for some. Long-term memory loss includes memories that you have obtained throughout the years, and can sometimes stretch into decades. Though a different part of your brain processes long-term memory as opposed to the areas that handle short-term memory and working memory, it is important to understand the symptoms of long-term, ... Read More

Improving Memory With Music

improve memory with music

You may have heard of what is commonly called "The Mozart Effect." Since the original study of music and its effects on memory and intelligence published by scientists from the University of California at Irvine in 1993, there have been numerous studies done on how memory, music and intelligence correlate with each other. It's been common knowledge since then that classical music and memory have a connection, but we have never fully understood the reasoning behind how classical music actually ... Read More