Normal Forgetfulness and Early Signs of Dementia

Memory Quiz
Test your smarts about normal forgetfulness and early signs of dementia
by: Christina Ianzito | from: AARP | October 24, 2012

1. What is dementia?

* A disease involving memory loss that is entirely separate from Alzheimer's disease
* A decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life
* Another term for Alzheimer's
* A mental illness that's usually alleviated through meditation

Correct Answer : A decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life
"Many people think Alzheimer's is the same thing as dementia," says David Knopman, M.D., a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic. "It isn't. Dementia is a symptom; Alzheimer's is a disease." Alzheimer's, however, is the most common reason for dementia. Two other top causes are strokes and Lewy body disease, which is similar to Parkinson's.


2.  What sort of memory lapse would be cause for concern?

* You forget the way to your local grocery store.
* You forget the name of the movie you saw last week, then remember it a few hours later.
* You forget where you last put your keys.
* You go to the grocery store for milk, then buy five other things and forget the milk.


Correct Answer : You forget the way to your local grocery store.
Misplacing your keys once in a while and forgetting a name are common — and normal — memory lapses, at any age. Losing your way on familiar streets suggests a more serious problem.

3.  What besides Alzheimer's can cause memory loss?

* Depression
* Some medications
* Stress
* All of the above


 Correct Answer : All of the above
All three. Depression and stress can interfere with your ability to form and retrieve memories, while some medications' side effects include memory problems.

4.  What part of the brain is crucial to the formation of memories?

* Hippocampus
* Cerebellum
* Frontal lobe
* Thalamus

Correct Answer : Hippocampus
The hippocampus plays a central role in learning and memory. Humans have two seahorse-shaped hippocampi — one in each of the two brain hemispheres.

5.  What has been shown to increase brain functioning in healthy adults?

* Vitamin A
* A high-fat, low-carb diet
* Exercise
* All of the above


Correct Answer : Exercise
Studies have shown that exercise strengthens the mind as well as the body.

6.  What has been shown to decrease brain functioning in healthy adults?

*  Smoking
* Frequent socializing (besides intellectual gatherings, such as book groups)
* Reading celebrity magazines
* Drinking coffee


Correct Answer : Smoking
Studies have linked memory loss with smoking and other activities or conditions associated with heart disease (such as hypertension and diabetes).

7.  What are mnemonics?

* Antioxidants that have been shown to boost brainpower
* Medications for chronic forgetfulness that are now sold over the counter
* Games, such as crossword puzzles, that improve memory and cognitive ability
* Little cognitive aids or devices that help you remember things


Correct Answer : Little cognitive aids or devices that help you remember things
Mnemonics are incredibly useful tools for retaining information. They often involve verses, songs (like the "ABC song," for learning the alphabet) or acronyms (such as HOMES, for recalling the names of the five Great Lakes).

8.  What is transient global amnesia?

* A common affliction of people who are traveling, characterized by the inability to remember what country one is in
* A sudden attack of memory loss in which one can't remember any recent events
* A cultural phenomenon in which a group of people forget their collective, often-traumatic history
* When people wake up from anesthesia and for several days can't remember anything about their past, including their own name

Correct Answer : A sudden attack of memory loss in which one can't remember any recent events
Someone diagnosed with transient global amnesia knows who she is, but completely forgets what has happened in the recent past. There's no clear medical consensus on what causes TGA, but it typically lasts only a few hours.

9.  Who once said, "Happiness is good health and a bad memory"?

* Joan Rivers
* Ingrid Bergman
* Thomas Jefferson
* O.J. Simpson


Correct Answer : Ingrid Bergman
This oft-quoted quip is by actress Ingrid Bergman, though it's also been attributed to the German physician and philosopher Albert Schweitzer.