Can't Remember What I Forgot

The latest research on memory loss and the aging brain

Sue Halpern is scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College and author, most recently, of Can't Remember What I Forgot: The Good News From The Front Lines of Memory Research. See full bio

July 12, 2008, Anxiety

Comments on "Test Anxiety"

Test Anxiety

By Sue Halpern on July 12, 2008 in Can't Remember What I Forgot

Why get tested for memory loss when you can worry like hell about it instead? Read More

Interesting...

Submitted by Diane on July 14, 2008 - 12:10pm.

I found this particularly interesting - my father has dementia that they have said is NOT Alzheimer's. All I really know is that he has Parkinson's and that brain scans show white matter, as if he has had several small strokes. I'm wondering about my own future decline, of course, particularly the Parkinson's.

Do you know if insurances will cover this sort of testing or what factors might need to be present in order to get it covered? My son had neuropsych testing for a learning disability some 10 years ago and I had to pay for it - I remember it as being quite expensive.

The insurance/payment problem

Submitted by Sue Halpern on July 14, 2008 - 6:15pm.

As I understand it, insurance companies are loathe to pay for testing relating to learning, so many people have to pay out-of-pocket and it is very expensive. For those who have been referred to a neuropsychologist by a doctor, however, for diagnostic reasons, there's probably a greater chance for reimbursement. That said, I would proceed with some caution, making sure that the tests can't be used at some later date by the insurance company to claim a pre-existing condition. (I'm not saying that this will happen, but that it could happen.) One way to get around both of these problems (money and snooping) is to see if you can find a clinical trial that includes neuropsych tests where the researchers are looking for healthy volunteers. I was able to do this at both NYU and UCLA. These tests do no go in your medical record, but you are given the results. (I had to ask for them, so make sure that they will provide you with the results if you participate.) All that said, the only reason to get tested is that you've noticed problems that seem out of the ordinary. And remember, the tests can't tell you IF you'll have problems down the road, only if you're having problems now that deviate from the norm.

Thank you - looking for a

Submitted by Diane on July 15, 2008 - 11:22am.

Thank you - looking for a research study is a good idea. I'll keep an eye out for one.

I don't know if I've noticed problems that are out of the ordinary. Does everybody worry about memory loss and cognition as they age these days? It seems like everyone I know does. Watching a parent's decline seems to really raise awareness - or is it more like paranoia? I have no real experience with what to expect from normal aging.

That's the trouble, I'm afraid. I had the opposite problem raising my son - I had no idea what raising a normal boy was like and didn't know what to ascribe to normal development, his own personality traits or his learning disability.

Thank you for your column - I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Diane

Normal Aging and collective cultural paranoia

Submitted by Sue Halpern on July 15, 2008 - 6:35pm.

At the risk of seeming completely self-promotional, all these things that you raise--the difference between normal cognitive aging and AD, the anxiety about memory as we age, the realm of testing, the connection between attention and memory, are covered in my new book. In fact, it's because of seeing my father's decline that I was motivated to do all this research and try to get a handle on what I could expect in the coming years. It was a long (five years!) journey, but worth it.

Self promotion?

Submitted by Diane on July 17, 2008 - 9:40am.

I don't think it sounds self-promotional - I wouldn't have posted here if it didn't sound like you knew what you were talking about! I guess I just didn't expect that anybody would have actual answers... I'm pretty cynical, especially when it comes to health issues. ;)

I saw another interesting comment on cognition on the autism blog, (http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/aspergers-diary/200807/look-me-in-...), where they were discussing the trade-offs of becoming normal. Although I don't consider myself autistic, I have been spending more of my cognitive energy on psychosocial issues than on harder science or math, and those things have gotten harder for me. I've noticed that learning is harder for me as I've gotten older. I have been vaguely worried that it is a sign of mental decline - but reading the comment on the autistic blog made me wonder if it was just that I was using my brain differently.

I'll put your book on my Amazon wish list.

Diane

What is normal

Submitted by Sue Halpern on July 17, 2008 - 10:11am.

Diane, this all goes back to the question of what is normal: what is normal for you (i.e. how you're wired) and what is normal for a person "like you" (i.e. age, gender, education, etc). One thing that is clear from my research is that as we age, it does become harder to learn new (and difficult) things because of physiological changes, especially in the prefrontal cortex. (I write about this, too.) This is independent of the wiring issue. I, for instance, tested badly on visual memory, which could have been worrisome, but the fact is, I've always had a terrible visual memory--which is why you don't want me giving eyewitness testimony in court.