Pat on the Head Nudges Older Adults to Remember Daily Meds

A pat on the head helps elders to remember if they took their daily dose of medicine, says a new study.

Remembering to take daily medications can be a challenge for some older adults, but new research from Washington University in St. Louis offers tips for strengthening those memories.

Research Says Brain Develops Motor Memory for Prosthetics
New research says that the brain can achieve motor memory with a prosthetic device, providing hope that physically disabled people can one day master control of artificial limbs with greater ease.

According to the study, doing something unusual, like knocking on wood or patting yourself on the head, while taking a daily dose of medicine may be an effective strategy to help seniors remember whether they've already taken their daily medications.

"In extended medication-taking situations, the habitual nature of the task may make it difficult for older adults to remember whether or not they took the medication on a particular day, especially if pill boxes are not used," said Mark McDaniel, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology in Arts and Sciences at Washington University.

"To remedy this potential problem, older adults could be instructed to take their medication while placing one hand on their head or in some other unusual or silly way, like crossing their arms.

Gulf War Veterans Exhibit Memory Impairment
A US government funded study reveals the war veterans who have come back after combat in the gulf are exhibiting memory impairment.

"Our results indicate that older adults can use these sorts of more complex motor tasks to effectively reduce repetition errors in habitual prospective memory tasks, such as taking a daily medication," he added.

The study has been published in a recent issue of the journal Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition.

Unraveling the Molecular Mechanisms of Friedreich's Ataxia
Expansions of GAA repeats cause the most common hereditary neurological disorder known as Friedreich's ataxia.

Source-ANI
TRI

Another Necessary Step in Memory Formation Identified
Another component in the chain of actions that take place in the neurons, when the brain is in the process of forming memories