Washington, 4 Apr ( EFE).- the memory of human decreases in the two and a half years before the death at a rate faster than in any period since they begin the memory problems, according to a study that publishes the journal Neurology today.
Another study in the same publication of the American Academy of Neurology suggests that the best way to preserve the memory in old age is through table games or reading.
For the first study researchers at the medical centre of the Rush University in Chicago, did evidence of memory among 174 priests, religious and Catholic monks who had no memory problems, from six to 15 years before his death.
After death, the scientists examined the brains of subjects to detect the plaques and “knots” indicating the presence of the mal de Alzheimer.
We “in our first study used the end of life as a reference point to investigate the decline in memory instead of the birth or the date of commencement of the study,” said the author of the article, Robert Wilson.
Research found that, on average, about two and a half years before death, different capacities of memory and thinking tend to decrease at a rate of 8 to 17 times faster that before this stage.
The highest levels of plates and knots have been linked with an early start for this terminal session, but not the rate of decrease of memory in this period.
For the second study, also led by Wilson, the researchers focused on mental activities and he attended 1,076 people with an average age of 80 years, dementia-free.
The researchers subjected participants to annual reviews of memory for five years. The participants reported how often read the newspaper, wrote letters, visited a library and played board games such as chess or checkers.
The results showed that the participation of persons in mentally stimulating activities and their mental functioning decreased at similar rates over the years.
Also the researchers found they could predict the level of cognitive functioning of the participants noting their level of mental activity throughout the previous year, but that level of cognitive functioning does not serve to predict the mental activity in the future. EFE
