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Not as sharp as you used to be?




Everything we experience and feel is processed by the brain and then stored in the temporal lobe, specifically the hippocampus, says Dr. Allan Levey, chairman of neurology at Emory University.

But much of how memory stores and retrieves information remains a mystery.

"We know an awful lot about how the brain works, but we have a long way to go," he says. "We know about the circuits in the brain that are necessary for memory, and we even know some of the molecular basis for connections between neurons, which underlie memory."

But no one is really clear why memory starts to fade during early middle age, he says. "There are probably many factors that contribute to decline, which vary in different people."

Some people start losing memory about age 25, and by 40, almost everybody starts fading, he says. But unless they impede daily functions, moments of forgetfulness likely don't mean much, if anything, Levey says.

However, a growing body of research suggests that a variety of lifestyle choices can sharpen people's mental acuity. For example:

? California researchers reported at a conference last month that a diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants could slow down or reverse mental decline in old age.

? The journal Archives of Neurology reported that people who consume large quantities of saturated fats are twice as likely as those who don't to have memory problems.

? A study in Neurology reported that formal education significantly diminished memory problems among people with Alzheimer's.

? And finally, a study last year in the New England Journal of Medicine found that leisure activities like chess, checkers, crossword puzzles, playing a musical instrument and ballroom dancing seem to stave off memory loss.

Marilyn Margolis, 55, of Sandy Springs ? who admits to frequent "senior moments" ? says she thinks such things help. "Anything that stretches your mind," says the Alzheimer's Association volunteer. She and her husband are avid Scrabble players.

But many experts like Levey say it's too early to take such studies to the brain bank.

It's possible and even logical to think that mental workouts might tune up the brain, but to what extent, if any, hasn't been shown conclusively.
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