Diagnosis
The doctor-patient consultation at the beginning of an examination is essential for the diagnosis and the exact recording of a memory loss (so-called anamnesis). Therefore, the doctor will ask about the duration, concomitant diseases, medication and accompanying circumstances. Observations by relatives are often important.
If memory loss occurs during an accident or a fall, an imaging procedure is often initiated in the acute stage, with the help of which damage to the brain and its extent can be depicted. A CT scan is usually used for this purpose. In the further course of the procedure, brain waves are often measured by means of EEG (electroencephalography), with which epilepsy can be identified as a possible cause. Standardized neuropsychological test procedures and questionnaires are used to determine the extent of the memory gap.
Associated symptoms
If the epilepsy is the cause, one typically observes the symptoms of the seizure with a loss of body control, twitching, involuntary movements and a loss of consciousness. The person affected does not remember the seizure or the time shortly before it. In dementia diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, in addition to memory loss, there are also concentration disorders and problems with orientation and attention, in addition to the symptoms typical of the disease.
In addition, memory gaps can put such a great psychological strain on the person concerned that a depressed, depressed mood can be observed when accompanied. The therapy of the memory loss depends on the cause. If an underlying disease, such as epilepsy, dementia, encephalitis or a stroke, leads to the memory disorders, they should be treated accordingly.
At the same time, however, the psychological burden caused by the memory gaps should be considered and in severe cases treated with psychotherapy. Probably the most important and effective therapeutic measure is the neuropsychological component. Here, the affected person is taught various learning strategies in an intensive training, with which the memory performance can be improved.
In order to make the patient’s everyday life easier, the use of external memory aids is also recommended. This means, for example, that important things are noted down on a notepad or on the smartphone so that they are not forgotten. Finally, memory performance can be influenced by certain medications.
However, their use should be weighed up individually for each case and decided with a specialist, because a positive influence has only been investigated for memory loss due to craniocerebral trauma. Thus, drugs such as donepezil or methylphenidate (Ritalin®)””off-label” are recommended. This means that these drugs are actually used for other diseases.
Furthermore, rivastigmine or physostigmine are also used, both of which increase the concentration of the neurotransmitter (substances for signal transmission in the nervous system) acetylcholine.The use of various advertised drugs to improve brain performance should be carefully considered before deciding on a drug. It is important to seek advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Of course, one drug alone can never bring the brain performance back to peak performance.
Therefore, in addition to a therapy with medication, you should always try to train your memory through various learning techniques and exercises. Even exercise is very beneficial for brain performance. There are preparations that are used in Alzheimer’s dementia that can improve cognitive functions and delay the decline in mental performance.
These are so-called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important messenger substance for information processing in nerve cells. Drugs in this group include donepezil (Aricept®), galantamine (Reminyl®) and rivastigmine (Exelon®). There are also ginkgo preparations that have a different mode of action.
Ginkgo is a herbal preparation that improves the flow properties of the blood and thus the blood circulation in the brain. This can increase memory and learning ability. One can enumerate still innumerable further means, around which one recruits. However, a decision should always be made individually and better under specialist medical advice, because every drug can have interactions and side effects.
