Can you remember when you started to forget?
It's estimated that around 8 million Americans age 65 or older have mild cognitive impairment (7.4 million of them are undiagnosed) and almost that many may have full-blown Alzheimer's disease. But it's been hard to pin down when their cognition problems started.
Until now. A new study in Cerebral Cortex used MRIs to track how your brain's encoding and retrieval of memories changes over time and found that, to the researchers' surprise, memory begins to get worse when you're in your 50s.
Forming and retrieving a memory is a complex process that engages multiple brain-based processes, especially in the hippocampus. (No, that's not where that oversized animal goes to college). The hippocampus processes and regulates emotion and memory -- helping move your recall of events, facts, names, etc., from short-term to long-term file cabinets and assisting in retrieval. And it appears that the processes that help stabilize those memories begin to weaken after five decades of intense brain workouts.
Luckily, you're never too young -- or too old -- to help your brain stay agile and accurate. You can strengthen sensory, short-term and long-term memory by playing brain-training games like "Double Decision" and "Freeze Frame"; socializing; learning something new -- a skill, hobby or language; playing and listening to music; getting plenty of energetic aerobic exercise; further protecting heart health with good nutrition; and getting quality sleep.
For more info, read my upcoming book, "YOU: Getting Older, The Owner's Manual for the Golden Years." And for bold moves to protect your brain, check out LifeSpan-Edge.com and therapeutic plasma exchange.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at drmikerealage@gmail.com.
(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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