Develop a memorable memory

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What do you do to exercise your brain? Let us know and we'll print the results in December's e-PlanProfessor.

The truth is, we all experience neurological hiccups as we age. Some of us write them off to stress or fatigue, while others worry whether a moment of forgetfulness means we're on our way to Alzheimer's. No matter what you think causes decline in mental acuity, most people share a pretty big assumption about our gray matter: we believe our genes completely control our destiny. That simply isn't true.

Control your genes

While many diseases have genetic elements to them, memory conditions have strong genetic indicators. But the truth is, even if your genes decide to give you a lifetime of serious forgetfulness, you have the ability to control those genes so you remember the crucial details of your life even when your birthday candles reach triple digits.

When it comes to your brain, research shows that eventually everyone in America will either get Alzheimer's disease or care for someone who has it. There's an upside to this statistic: Memory disorders aren't as uncontrollable as they seem, and the way to attack potential problems is by using your brain to understand them.

For starters, here are some things you should know:

• We actually experience mental decline a lot earlier than we realize. Memory loss starts at age 16 and is relatively common by age 40.
  
  
• Men and women differ when it comes to mental decline. Men usually lose their ability to solve complex problems, while women lose their ability to process information quickly.
  
  
• When we discuss memory loss, we're essentially focusing on three specific brain functions:
  
  
• Sensory information - your ability to determine what information is important
  
  
• Short-term memory loss - quick, what's the title of this article
  
  
• Long-term memory loss - your bank of trivia, names, recipes, and every piece of information you've known, read, and stored during your life

Biology of your memory

To keep your memory functioning at optimal power, focus on three aspects of biology:

Your brain: The hippocampus, buried deep within your brain, is the main driver of memory. It processes information before it is stored. However, as you age the power lines that connect your hippocampus to the rest of your brain can often get clogged with protein fragments, causing memory to fade. It can also reduce in size and connections by too much stress.

Blood supply: A lack of healthy blood flow to the brain is one of the main causes of forgetfulness. LDL Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may help maintain memory by preserving the tree-like structure of blood-supply lines that reach all parts of your brain. That blood supply and flow is needed to remove your brain cell's waste product amyloid, and keep your brain cells nourished with healthy fats (yes DHA is necessary, after all you and I are "fatheads", needing that membrane fat to function, and more than 98% of that is DHA) . Physical activity increases blood flow too.

Neurochemicals: Nerve cells communicate with each other via neurotransmitters, chemicals that ferry information through the neurons. When levels of these chemicals fall, we develop cognitive impairment. Another important brain chemical, BDNF, helps develop nerves that help us learn, acting like Miracle-Gro for your brain. Research shows that restricting calories, exercising, and being in love or even passionately pursuing an activity daily can improve BDNF levels.

Brain pills

The verdict's still out on many pills, supplements, and vitamins that claim to make your memory stronger. Here's a few that can help:

• Aspirin improves circulation and may help de-gunk protein fragments from your brain's wiring. Research shows a 40 percent decrease in arterial aging, a major cause of memory loss, in those who take even half of a regular aspirin (or two baby aspirin with half a glass of water before and after) daily.
  
  
• People who consume the highest amount of vitamin E are 43 percent less likely to get Alzheimer's. Just 3 ounces of nuts or seeds a day gives you all the vitamin E you need.
  
  
• Without B vitamins, your neurotransmitters don't work efficiently. In addition, your homocystein levels rise when you don't get enough of the B vitamins, which doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer's. We recommend a supplement with 400 micrograms of folic acid, 800 micrograms of B12, and 40 milligrams of B6 a day.

Bottom line

While memory loss is natural, you can help your memory stay strong by increasing your blood supply and taking certain vitamins. Check back next month for tips to keep your memory sharp.