Your mind works a lot like a computer. Your brain puts information it judges to be important into "files." When you remember something, you pull up a file. Memory doesn't always work perfectly. As people grow older, it may take longer to retrieve those files. Some adults joke about having a "senior moment."
It's normal to forget things once in awhile. We've all forgotten a name, where we put our keys, or if we locked the front door. But forgetting how to use the telephone or find your way home may be signs of a more serious problem. These include Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, stroke, depression, head injuries, thyroid problems, or reactions to certain medicines. If you're worried about your forgetfulness, see your doctor.
National Institute on Aging
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Forgetfulness: It's Not Always What You Think(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/forgetfulness.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/forgetfulness-sp.asp
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Memory Loss with Aging: What's Normal, What's Not(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/seniors/common-older/124.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/seniors/common-older/124.printerview.html
- Understanding Memory Loss(National Institute on Aging) - Large PDF file - http://www.nia.nih.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F35FE176-B3E6-4FD5-8FA0-C37E53EBCD89/0/understandingmemoryloss.pdf
- Coping with Memory Loss(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/features/memoryloss0507.html
- Types of Memory(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/31393/31397/347125.html?d=dmtContent
- Early Alzheimer's Hinders Brain's Effort to Sort Information(05/04/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83765.html
- Remembrance of Fat May Be at Root of Cravings(04/29/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83563.html
- Meds Help Kids with ADHD in Classroom(04/27/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83431.html
- More News on Memory http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_m.html#memory
- Memory Loss: Symptoms That Should Trigger an Evaluation(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/31393/31398/347730.html?d=dmtContent
- Memory Loss: 7 Tips to Improve Your Memory(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/memory-loss/HA00001/METHOD=print
- Gingko(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ginkgo/
- Agnosia(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/agnosia/agnosia.htm
- Amnesia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/amnesia/DS01041/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders(Mental Health America) - http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/dissociation-and-dissociative-disorders
- Dissociative Disorders(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/dissociative-disorders/DS00574/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Forget What You Heard about Amnesia(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/31393/31479/345689.html?d=dmtICNNews
- JAMA Patient Page: Mild Cognitive Impairment(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/300/13/1610.pdf
- Memory Loss: When to Seek Help(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/memory-loss/HQ00094/METHOD=print
- Mild Cognitive Impairment(Alzheimer's Association) - http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_mild_cognitive_impairment.asp
- Mild Cognitive Impairment(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mild-cognitive-impairment/DS00553/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
- Post-Concussion Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/post-concussion-syndrome/DS01020/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Reversible Causes of Memory Change(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/31393/31398/347135.html?d=dmtContent
- Right Hemisphere Brain Damage(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) - http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/RightBrainDamage.htm
- Transient Global Amnesia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/transient-global-amnesia/DS01022/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Chemobrain(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MBC/content/MBC_2_3x_Chemobrain.asp?sitearea=MBC
- Chemobrain(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/chemo-brain/DS01109/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
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JAMA Patient Page: Delirium(American Medical Association) - Links to PDF - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/300/24/2936.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/291/14/1794/DC1/1
- Questions and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse(American Psychological Association) - http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/mem.html
- Statin Drugs: Can They Cause Memory Loss?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/statin-drugs/AN01116/METHOD=print
- If I Had - A Memory Problem(Insidermedicine) - http://www.insidermedicine.com/Archives/If_I_Had_-_A_Memory_Problem_-_Dr_Barry_Gordon_MD_PhD__2023.aspx?p=mdlnp
- Sleep, Learning, and Memory(Harvard Medical School) - http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/video/sleep07_stickgold_learning
- How Memory Works(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/31393/31397/347126.html?d=dmtContent
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Amnesia(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Amnesia%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Memory Disorders(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Memory+Disorders%22
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Memory(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=memory
- Caffeine No Substitute for a Nap to Enhance Memory(National Institute of Mental Health) - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2008/caffeine-no-substitute-for-a-nap-to-enhance-memory.shtml
- Low Levels of Good Cholesterol Linked to Memory Loss, Dementia Risk(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=451
- Testing Makes Perfect, Finds Memory Retrieval Research(American Psychological Association) - http://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/06/testing.html
- Article: Levels of consciousness during regional anesthesia and monitored anesthesia care:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19372336&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Fighting the fog of "chemo brain." Chemotherapy may keep your... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19353815&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Diagnosis of ovarian cancer and object relationships in early memories:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19282687&tool=MedlinePlus
- Memory -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=memory[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Memory disorders -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=memory+disorders[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- National Institute of Mental Health - http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
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National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/
- Memory Matters(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/brain/memory.html
- Eldercare at Home: Memory Problems(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/public_education/eldercare/17.xml
- Memory Changes in Older Adults(American Psychological Association) - http://www.psychologymatters.org/memchanges.html
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Memory Loss with Aging: What's Normal, What's Not(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/seniors/common-older/124.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/seniors/common-older/124.printerview.html
- Alzheimer's Disease - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alzheimersdisease.html
- Dementia - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dementia.html
- Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
- Mental Health and Behavior - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html
- Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Memory is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/