subject: Seven Possible Reasons For Loss Of Memory [print this page] Loss of memory may be due to old age, head injury, dementia, Lyme illness, anxiety and depressive disorders, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug interactions.
Loss of memory is the incapacity of one person to retrieve memories due to several factors. It could be short-term or partial, as well as long-term or permanent. Listed below are the most common and also possible causes of memory loss which affect men and women from diverse walks of life:
Old age
The natural reason behind memory loss is aging. As you grow older, your brain also changes. The hippocampus and also prefrontal cortex of your brain, that are responsible for keeping memory, shrink as you get old, resulting to lapse of memory and also memory loss.
Head injury
Head injury or trauma from a head collision, brain bruise, and also skull crack could also lead to brain cell injury, leading to loss of memory. Most cases of loss of memory as a result of head injuries are typically short-term and temporary, which usually involves failing to recall what had occurred before and after the damage. These memories are usually recovered over time. Old experiences, however, are not lost.
Dementia
Dementia is a general condition that affects your own social, and also mental faculties, together with your memory. Among the different kinds of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is the most typical one, making up about half of dementia events. It is characterized by amyloid plaque build up in the brain which later poisons the brain cells, leading to memory loss, as well as other symptoms like problems in speech, and problems with judgment and thinking.
Loss of memory in dementia patients may also be caused by not getting enough proper proteins into the brain cells because of neurofibrillary tangles, that's described as the tangling of the long fibers in the brain tissues.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, usually a deer tick. If you are infected with Lyme ailment that remains untreated for over a period of time, your condition may intensify from red-colored rash and some flu-like symptoms to even more painful Lyme disease symptoms. The illness propagates throughout the body, affecting your heart, the joints and muscles, and your nervous system, that could result in memory loss.
Anxiety and depression
Slight and also short-term loss of memory may also be caused by too much stress, and also depression. Under these conditions, your brain cells and your hippocampus may be damaged, making things harder to recall. Specialists also feel that extreme anxiety and depression can cause chemical or neurotransmitter imbalances which affect the capability of the brain to pass on information and store new memories.
Excessive alcohol consumption
Drinking a lot of alcohol also destroys your brains cells, leading to short-term loss of memory. The problem even worsens when you start to have black outs. Ensure you drink moderately to avoid short-term loss of memory.
Drug interactions
Taking various prescription drugs at the same time may interact badly with one another and might lead to memory loss as its negative effects. Be sure you read the contraindications and interactions of the drugs, and make sure to inform your physician about the medicines you are taking as soon as new drugs are being given in order to avoid possible negative drug interactions.
If you start to notice signs of memory loss, do not hesitate to tell your doctor about it as it could be a sign of a more serious condition or infection.
