Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Panashe | Delivered July 28, 2019

Short and Long Term Memory - Best Ways of Improvement

Goals

To understand the best ways to improve short and long term memory.

Early Findings

Your short-term memory is where you temporarily store small bits of information, usually for only 15-30 seconds.
 Long-term memory refers to the storage of information over an extended period. If you can remember something that happened more than just a few moments ago whether it occurred just hours ago or decades earlier, then it is a long-term memory.
 New York University scientists have found a way that can "improve short-term memory in rats, and the findings may lend a clue to the treatment of memory disorders in humans." The study published in the journal Science, "showed that brain cells fired longer when an animal was learning about a new place, and with those signals artificially lengthened, the animal were found to be better at remembering things."
The aim of this study was to examine whether classical music can improve short term memory in healthy volunteers.  However, the overall results for the scores for silence and music, it was found that there is no conclusive evidence that classical music improves short term memory in healthy volunteers.
 Scientists have looked at a method for improving short-term working memory, "by stimulating the brain with electricity to synchronize brain waves." Dr Violante and his team used TCAS to target two brain regions. They found that "buzzing the brain with electricity could give a performance boost to the same memory processes used when people try to remember names at a party, telephone numbers, or even a short grocery list."
 A review of 12 studies found that multiple meditation styles increased attention, memory and mental quickness in older volunteers. In addition to fighting normal age-related memory loss, meditation can at least partially improve memory in patients with dementia. It can also help control stress and improve coping in those caring for family members with dementia.
 Kirtan Kriya is a method of meditation that combines a mantra or chant with repetitive motion of the fingers to focus thoughts. It improved participants' ability to perform memory tasks in multiple studies of age-related memory loss.
 Research has shown that a sugar-laden diet can lead to poor memory and reduced brain volume, particularly in the area of the brain that stores short-term memory. 
 A study of more than 4,000 people found that those with a higher intake of sugary beverages like soda had lower total brain volumes and poorer memories on average compared to people who consumed less sugar.
A recent review of 28 studies showed that when adults with mild symptoms of memory loss took supplements rich in DHA and EPA, like fish oil, they experienced improved episodic memory.
A study of 293 psychology students showed that those who underwent mindfulness training had improved recognition-memory performance when recalling objects compared to students who did not receive mindfulness training.
 Alcohol exhibits neurotoxic effects on the brain. Repeated episodes of binge drinking can damage the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a vital role in memory.
A study demonstrated that adults who consumed ready-to-eat breakfast cereal daily had poorer cognitive function than those who consumed cereal less frequently.
 A study of 144 people aged 19 to 93 showed that a single bout of 15 minutes of moderate exercise on a stationary bike led to improved cognitive performance, including memory, across all ages.
During recent studies by researchers in Japan, histamine improved people's long-term memory test scores depending on the strength of the original memory, and could temporarily extend mice memories by as much as 25 days longer than normal. 