THE MEMORY BIBLE --- AN INNOVATIVE STRATEGY FOR KEEPING YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
by Gary Small. Hyperion, 2002
    PREFACE (pvii)

      Nearly everyone struggles with some form of memory loss before reaching middle age. Thanks to recently developed brain-imaging and genetic technologies, scientists can now observe the earliest physical indicators of brain aging in people as young as 25. Tiny plaques and tangles that develop and grow ever denser in our brains often begin accumulating decades before any middle-age forgetfulness sets in.

      But you need not dispair. Memory loss is not an inevitable consequence of aging!

      Your brain can "fight" back with the "tools" in this book.

      You can improve your "memory performance" immediately and stave off and possibly even prevent future memory decline!

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (pix)

      1) You have more control than you think (p1-29)

      2) Rate your current memory (p30-41)

      3) LOOK, SNAP, CONNECT --- the three basic memory training skills (p42-57)

      Memory training includes three basic skills: LOOK, SNAP, and CONNECT!

        [1] LOOK --- Actively observe what you want to learn!

          Slow down, take notice, and focus on what you want to remember. Consciously absorb details and meaning from a new face, event or conversation.

        [2] SNAP --- Create mental "snapshots" of memories!

          Create a "mental snapshot" of the visual information you wish to remember. Add details to give the "snaps" personal meaning and make them easier to learn and recall later.

        [3] CONNECT --- Link your "mental snapshots" together!

        Associate the "images-to-be-remembered" in a chain, starting with the first image, which is associated with the second, the second with the third, and so forth. Be sure the first image helps you recall the reason for remembering the chain.

      4) Minimize stress (p58-81)

      5) Get fit with "mental aerobics" (p82-110)

      6) Build your "memory skills" beyond the basics (p111-126)

      7) Start your healthy brain diet now (p127-163)

      8) Choose a "lifestyle" that protects your brain (p164-186)

      9) Wise up about medicines (p187-222)

      10) Don't forget the first nine chapters! (p223-244)

        Chapter summaries

    APPENDIXES (p245-271)

      [1] The AMYLOID PROBE --- keeping watch on plaques and tangles (p247-249)

        As this book was about to be published, the author’s UCLA research team studying Alzheimer’s amyloid plaques and tangles discovered that the internal environments of the plaques and tangles were "hydrophobic," meaning they are more friendly to fat than to water!

        The research allowed the team to see, or probe, for the first time in human history, increased signals coming from living human brains in areas that contained dense collections of plaques and tangles. The ability for doctors to see the lesions with this new “amyloid probe” gives scientists the ability to monitor plaque and tangle concentrations while testing experimental treatments to eliminate them.

        The "amyloid probe" essentially seeks out and temporarily attaches itself to the plaques and tangles, thus providing a clear PET scan signal in the areas of the brain where Alzheimer’s strikes first, namely, the hippocampus and temporal cortex.

        There is great interest in this new “amyloid probe” technology since it promises to streamline drug discovery, particularly for treatments designed to slow and possibly eliminate age-related cognitive disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.

      [2] What to do if Alzheimer's Disease strikes (p252-264)

      [3] Current and potential treatments for memory loss and Alzheimer's Disease (p265-271)

      [4] GLOSSARY (p273-280)

      [5] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (p281-289)

    BIBLIOGRAPHY (p291-298)

    SOURCE CREDITS (p299-300)

    INDEX (p301-305)
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