In this episode of What the Health, our host interviews Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD, an award-winning psychologist and author of The Working Memory Advantage. The discussion addresses common concerns about memory lapses and distinguishes between disease-related and everyday memory issues.

Dr. Alloway explains the concept of working memory, its vulnerability to stress, and how various lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise and mental practices, can support and enhance memory function across the lifespan. Practical strategies and insights are shared to help improve memory in both adults and children, providing a comprehensive understanding of this vital cognitive function.

00:30 Introduction to Memory Lapses

01:40 Interview with Dr. Tracy Packiam Alloway

02:23 Understanding Memory Loss

05:49 Types of Memory and Their Functions

09:57 Memory Testing and Its Importance

14:35 Improving Memory Function

25:50 Supporting Memory in Children

28:40 Memory Products and Misconceptions

32:29 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Memory Strength Insights with Tracy Packiam Alloway, PhD

All good questions to remember. It's worth knowing, and probably reassuring for many, to realize that all memory issues aren't the same. In fact, there are different types of memory functions or repositories. Lapses also aren't the sole province of mature adults or disease. Issues can surface at almost any age for a lot of different reasons that don't always involve the worst scenarios.

So, how do we sort all these issues out? Take a breath. We've lined up a leading authority on memory issues to help explain just what may be occurring when something slips our mind. Should we worry about it? And what, if anything, can be done about these lapses? Just don't forget to keep listening. Pun intended.

So, Dr. Alloway, thank you for joining us on What the Health.

[00:02:16] riverside_john_salak_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0692: That's great. And we're going to talk in a little while about how your memory can be supported and developed and strengthened. But we wanted to first touch on, just some insights on what happens with a person's memory because there is so much written about memory loss today, certainly with the greater awareness cognitive diseases like Alzheimer's, for example. So, just in general, can you define what causes memory loss short of disease or something like that? Or is disease always playing a role?

So when we experience a stressful event like that, that often drains our memory resources. It uses up our attentional resources as well. And this can result to us having these everyday forgetting events where you walk in a room and you think, what's I walked in here, what did I need? Or even, I'll have clients mention that they drive the same route they've taken for years, but now can't remember where they're going.

And oftentimes, it could be a sign that stress is overwhelming their memory resources, resulting in this temporary pause, if you will, or efficiency in their memory capacity. The other that we talked about, where it is connected to disease, is far more serious, far more severe. And that's linked to our memory neurotransmitter called choline or c dicholine.

[00:04:11] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: The one thing that we do notice is that stress impacts a specific type of memory, specifically our working memory or our active memory. And that memory is housed in the front of our brain, our prefrontal cortex. And when we experience stress, that is the part of the brain that is most susceptible. And so, our active memory, our working memory is the one we use when we're having to juggle multiple things, whether that is a conversation where you're keeping track of different threads in the conversation, whether it's giving a presentation, interviews, juggling schedules, that's the memory that we see the most decrement, the most loss, when we experience a stressor event.

[00:05:03] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: I would like to say it's across the board, but we do know from, lifespan research, my work included, is that our memory does decline, once we hit our thirties. So, by the time we're in our fifties or sixties, our memory capacity or our memory space can start looking like it did when we were ten or twelve or thirteen years of age.

Now, that's not to say that we cannot be as efficient, And we can often develop shortcuts or ways around circumventing that prefrontal cortex when it is overwhelmed. And part of that is automating a lot of that information. So the more things that are automated, we can, almost pull away from that working memory resource and say, Hey, this is something that I'm very well versed.

It's very automated for me. I don't need to rely exclusively on my working memory to carry this activity out.

[00:06:01] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: Best way to think about working memory is your active memory, the memory that's working when you're having a conversation, the memory that's working when you're, trying to balance a lot of different things. So it's the memory that's present. If you think of a conductor, maybe in the front of an orchestra, that's the person that's standing in front, bringing in information from other parts of the brain.

So the working memory may be drawing on your long term memory, information you might have read, information that you might know. It may be drawing on your muscle memory, information from what your movements that you're familiar with when you're driving a car, information from your Broca's area.

How do you form a sentence? What are the right words you want to use in this context? So working memory works in concert or together with other parts of the brain. And again, it's that active memory that we're using in everyday decision making, everyday conversations. It's a really vital part of our memory.

There's certainly muscle memory. And whenever I go fly fishing, my muscle memory comes into play because I don't go fly fishing enough, but it'll eventually come into play. But what other aspects of memory, long term or others that are out there and what are they doing and how are they working?

And then you also have what's called semantic memory, things about categories, maybe facts, maybe,, different political information or travel information. This falls under the umbrella of semantic memory. And we know that from, research on decline and Alzheimer's and dementia, one of the first things that starts going is the memory.

It's relating to our working memory. This idea of word finding difficulties where people are having difficulty accessing using their working memory to access that long term memory. They start saying things like, Oh, you know, we did the thing yesterday, you know, when you have a pole, a rod, and, they may be trying to talk about fishing and they've forgotten the word.

And so we do know that that type of memory tends to be the first to start, declining as we get older. And it can be a sign of a cognitive impairment. So if you're noticing this word finding difficulty, that's a good indicator to maybe do a quick memory check to reach out to your family doctor to make sure that your memory resources are intact.

And are there other ways that can decline? Or stop working, other than cognitive disease.

We do know throughout the female, lifespan pregnancy, the idea of pregnancy brain does have science behind that, again, because of the influx of different hormones that happen. So there are key periods like that, and as we age the loss of certain key hormones in both, men and women, males and females, also signifies a negative impact on memory.

Can you explain how a memory test works and what does it ultimately reveal?

So, we know from research that. When we look at memory for baseball facts, even if we make up random facts, someone who's a baseball fan will show a bigger memory capacity compared to a non baseball fan. So the main goal of a working memory test, is to look to see How big is the space?

So if you think of a countertop or a post it note is an image that I like to use and have used in my research before. How big is your post it note? So it could be a sequence of random numbers and you ask people to remember them in backwards order. And that backwards sequencing, brings up this idea of active.

You're doing something with that memory. You're not just remembering it. You have to process it. You have to work with it. We have also used, Working Memory Tests. I've created Working Memory Tests where we look at letters, random letter sequencing, random data. tone sequencing. So different pitch, for example.

So the goal here is to make it random and to see how much we can keep in mind. The average adult, as a point of reference, will be able to remember about five or six numbers or letters in backwards order. So if you wanted to, do a test, or if your listeners wanted to check them out, You can always ask someone to give you a sequence of four or five numbers and see if you can recall that right away, but in backwards or reverse

[00:12:00] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: Yes, that would be a fair characterization.

[00:12:17] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: Oh, there's a huge body of research. We look at experts. I touched on this briefly with baseball fans, but there's a large body of research. It's looking at memory and specific experts like memory for chess and chess experts. And we know that their memory is very connected to the procedural or that automatic wall of memory.

So if you put chess pieces on a chess board, a chess player will remember that just within seconds of looking at the board. However, If you put the chess pieces in a random order that doesn't mimic an actual play in a chess game, you know, their memory will look just like a non chess player. So there is a lot of research looking at memory and experts, looking at memory throughout childhood.

We've talked about Alzheimer's. My own research has looked at memory in different learning needs like ADHD,

[00:13:07] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: autism. So there is a big overlap in how memory functions across the lifespan, not just in the perspective of disease.

[00:13:28] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: The first question that we can all ask ourself is there a specific stressor event? Is there something that's happening that's draining my And so if you are able to rule that out or you can say, well, it's stressful, no more stressful than usual work week or work month, you then may want to move on to other things.

Are there hormonal changes that may be

[00:13:48] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: that? And also what type of memory is being affected? Is it your everyday memory? Are you forgetting things like your schedule or, your day to day that is pretty automated for you. Are you forgetting things at work?

Again, that may be automated for you. Or are you forgetting new things? Maybe you're starting a new program, a new certification, and that new information is overwhelming. And that's the information you're forgetting. So knowing if it's new information, or things that you're familiar with, and, looking at the source of memory loss is also important.

So if you're forgetting new information, that may be more common. As we get older, it can be more challenging to learn new information. But if you're forgetting information that is familiar, that may be indicative of some signs of cognitive impairment, if you've already ruled out, any stressor events.

Slow the decline.

And, when I look at the research in this area, I talk about it in three ways, a kind of slow release, if you will, and that this can take four to six weeks before you begin to see the benefits in your memory. Then I talk about a more medium release where it can take maybe overnight. It might take, a couple hours, but you can see those benefits.

And then I talk about the fast release, that kind of immediate, acting release. So we'll start with the slow release and then work our way to the fast acting. But we know from, um, slow release, there's a, huge body of research that's growing. And again, this is not unique to any one age.

This is, there are studies across the lifespan in childhood, adulthood, and as I mentioned, post retirement age as well, where, and by post retirement, the studies typically focus on 65, plus. That food is one big factor, specifically food that is rich in flavonoids. And flavonoids are what gives you the color in your food.

So the blue and the green and kale and spinach. And the more rich the food is in flavonoids, the better those kinds of foods are for your memory, your working memory. There's other research to show that dark chocolate, so 70 percent or higher of cocoa solids, they found that when people consumed that, after a few weeks, noticed a memory improvement.

Same with blueberries. One particular study was looking at individuals 65 and older, and they were consistently consuming blueberries, I think it was four to five weeks, and they noticed a significant improvement in their working memory. So food sources. Like flavonoid rich foods,

[00:17:02] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: dark chocolate, if you're a fan of chocolate, DHA, omega 3, is another source of, memory food.

The interesting thing here with omega 3 or DHA is that research is a little different in whether you're a child or an adult. So children will have memory benefits. from supplement form of omega 3, whereas adults tend to get the most benefit from food that contains omega 3.

So, maybe eggs that are enriched with that or salmon, for example. So, there's a slight difference in the source, but regardless, omega 3s are a powerful way for us to boost, working memory. So these are some examples. Again, it does take four to six weeks, so don't feel discouraged if after a week of, changing your eating pattern.

noticing memory improvements. The middle, the fast, the kind of moderate acting, there's research to show that when you learn things, so if you fall in the camp where you're concerned that you're learning new information, or you have to learn new information, whether it's for a job or for, education purposes, and you're really struggling, the info, you feel like you're spending a lot of time, but the information just isn't sticking, if you will, One, strategy that has been reported in scientific journals is to learn before bedtime.

And there's something that happens at sleep, a consolidation process, that by learning at night before bed, so don't pick up your phone, no iPad, no TV app, you learn. It almost locks that information in. And studies have found that a week later, two weeks later, even without any additional rehearsal of that information, people will remember more than if they learned that same information the start of the day or midday or so on.

[00:18:47] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: So that would be, yes, I'm referring to that kind of doom scrolling. So after you've learned. Then you look on social media, you want to relax by watching something or even reading. The idea is that you don't want any, it's called interference in the memory research. So you don't want any other information to interfere with that. So it's not the platform in which you're learning. It's more that you don't want other incoming information. If you have 20 minutes, grab a blank piece of paper and some coloring pencils. And we found that 20 minutes of what we called free drawing, so whatever you want, was enough to boost working memory, and kind of give you that quick boost.

So if you find that maybe you have a presentation and you feel like your memory's, you being kind of drained mid day or at the end of the workday, take 20 minutes, and. Draw, and that free drawing where you have to plan, you have to create something, really tends to activate your working memory system. So that's another way to do that.

[00:19:48] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: Correct. if you're a runner, I also published a study on barefoot running and found that, just a brief period of time, so less than 15, minutes of running barefoot, where you're paying attention to your surroundings.

It will also boost your working memory. So if you have an important presentation at work or an exam that you're to focus for that day, maybe take your shoes off if you feel comfortable, find a patch of grass. And it was running self paced, none of those other factors like the speed and so on made a difference. specifically running barefoot.

[00:20:28] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: Yeah, so that's one of the things. I talked about in the Research paper for the barefoot running. I think that there are two things affecting it one There's a specific time so running. Under 10 minutes wasn't sufficient to actually boost working memory. So there seems to be this sweet spot of cardiovascular activity, that we need to bring enough blood flow to our prefrontal cortex.

And that allows us to use our working memory more efficiently. We also know this is echoed in other research where They've had people run on treadmills with a cap to look at blood flow in the brain, and they found that again, similarly, when people are walking, and again, walking is great for your physical health, but here, we're talking specifically on the working memory benefits, and they found that running at, a modest pace. It doesn't have to be a sprint, but we need that, physical exertion to get that blood flow going to our prefrontal cortex.

The second is that we're running barefoot specifically. So , in the study, we had our runners run with shoes, without shoes, self pacing in all instances, but we also had them run in some cases where they had to specifically hit targets on the ground, dots on the ground.

And that, I had them to focus their attention. So when we're barefoot, we're far more focused on the ground where, , oftentimes when we run and again, if you have runners \ in your audience and your listeners, , that sometimes running is to turn off your brain. You don't want to look around you.

You kind of, you know, want to cope. And that's great too. But what running barefoot does is it forces your working memory, your prefrontal cortex to be attentive. So it's almost like you're giving that working memory a bit of a workout by focusing on the ground.

[00:22:06] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: They are studies that look at the difference between the functional use, how we use our memory, like what we're talking about, how to scaffold or support memory issues versus structural changes in our memory. Can we actually change the way our brain is wired?

And we know both are true from research. So we know the more you use a particular skill, the stronger that memory system will actually be structurally. So the taxi driver study is one that's well known. It's well published. It's made its way in popular media as well, where it was a group of, taxi drivers in London, and they found that their hippocampus, that's the part of the brain associated with spatial memory or directions, because London like New York, these big cities, this is, pre GPS, the study.

GPS, so they would have to memorize and know from memory all of the different routes and directions that they could possibly take. And so that was a huge hippocampus, that huge spatial memory, encyclopedic knowledge that they would have to have. And they found when they looked at their brains, that structurally, that part of the brain was, larger than a non taxi driver.

So we do know that the way in which we practice and use our memory system can bring structural changes, can act as a buffer. So in the event that you are under stress, decline and memory loss. Let me give you another example. This is one that I also talk about in the book, The Working Memory Advantage and this was a study looking at nuns The reason they looked at nuns specifically in the context of Alzheimer's is because they have a very, homogenous lifestyle. A lot of the other things that, contribute to Alzheimer's are controlled for in the nun population. And what they found is a group of, asymptomatic nuns, where when they passed and their brains were looked at, were signs of Alzheimer's, their brains did show those signs.

But when they were alive, they showed none of the cognitive signs of Alzheimer's, hence the term asymptomatic. They showed no symptoms. And which is really puzzling, even the nurses that would care for the nuns in their older age, were shocked. They couldn't believe that, some of the nuns truly did show physical signs of Alzheimer's when they showed none of , the language or cognitive signs.

And what they traced it back to was the fact of how they used language, that their Broca's era, that they were very creative, they would write a lot, they were very descriptive in their daily journals. And this form of using language acted as a buffer. protecting their brain as they age from, exhibiting those signs of Alzheimer's.

So, when we hear things like use it or lose it in the context of memory, there is real science behind, how valuable that is, everything from learning new activities. So one particular study, they were looking at individuals age 60 and older, And they found that people who were learning three or more new activities were more likely to preserve their memory and not exhibit these kinds of memory loss or memory decline compared to those who didn't.

Social interaction is another way that we can actually buffer and protect a working memory as we get older. This was a large scale study, thousands of people in this study, and they found that people who were more likely to call a friend, meet up on a regular basis and by regular They define that as once a week.

So we're not talking about, every day you don't have to be out nine to five socializing. But even a simple phone call, those people that were more socially connected as they age, were far less likely to show signs of cognitive decline. So learning new activities, moving things to your long term memory, like automating activities, being socially connected.

These are three great ways to buffer and protect memory as we get older.

[00:25:55] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: Yes, and that was how I began my research into memory was working with five year olds, kindergartners, and I wanted to know and understand how working memory was impacting their ability to learn. That is their job, essentially, from kindergarten to, twelfth grade, and I published longitudinal studies where I followed the same cohort.

We had a few hundred students and we followed them over a six year period and we found that the children who were struggling to learn were far more likely not just to experience difficulties with learning, but also to experience an impact on their self esteem, their socialization. They began to adopt this idea of learned helplessness.

Why should I try? I'm going to fail. I can't do it anyway. And they began to internalize a lot of these negative statements, like I'm dumb, like I can't do this and so on. So all the more it became very critical for me as a researcher to recognize the impact working memory was having in our young learners and find ways to support that.

So we were looking at, , mainstream, typically developing students, but eventually, as I began publishing and presenting the research, we also wanted to look at different learning groups. Again, as I mentioned with ADHD, how does working memory impact an individual with ADHD?

We know that specifically the front of the brain, the prefrontal cortex is underdeveloped. The brain is underdeveloped in an individual with ADHD. So this means it's like trying to run a race on a sprained ankle and that can help buffer and support.

So instead of a teacher saying, Hey, you've got to just pay attention, you've got to focus. Realistically, their brain isn't wired in that way. So we have to find ways to support them, to go around that prefrontal. What can we automatize? What can we do to work around this working memory, which is already, , working at a smaller capacity.

One of the things that we know from research too, is that by telling the child to stop fidgeting or stop moving if they have ADHD is counterproductive. Because what that's doing is it's taking away their working memory resources and saying, instead of paying attention to the teacher, now I have to use my working memory to regulate My physical motion, which again, we know from the ADHD brain that their motor cortex is overactive.

So they're wired to move, and they also have working memory . by, taking away those working memory resources to focus on the movement or that restless or fidgetiness is counterproductive to their learning. So knowing that can really switch the way in which we help them learn, we can say, and studies have shown this and many classrooms are taking this on board where they'll have, wobble seats or moving desks or standing desks and so on, where the student can move as they're learning and they don't have to use their working memory resources to keep still, where we might have thought that was the best way to learn.

[00:28:56] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: That's a great question. And sometimes it can be difficult to, decipher, sift through. and we know from research, the placebo effect is real. So if you truly believe something is working for you, it may indeed work for you because of this placebo effect. But having said that there is a large body of research.

documenting with supporting evidence, a lot of different things. We've talked about habits like different foods that we know can benefit. We've talked about simple things like drawing that we can integrate in. There's even research on different kinds of video games that can be helpful and, , first person strategy games and research has been done again on 60, 70, 80, plus where a couple hours a day can show benefits again because you are having to use your working memory to come up with a strategy to decide which was effective, which is ineffective, and you're constantly updating, new information.

So all of this does involve your working memory. We talked about the physical side of improving memory so there is a lot that's out there that, I would suggest one can look at before you maybe look at a supplement that know the research behind that or even the side effects of that. So as a researcher, I think if you're able to do a quick Google and see if there's some science behind what it is or the product or what it is you're interested in taking or integrating into your life, some due diligence could be helpful.

[00:30:24] riverside_dr_tracy packiam al_raw-audio_wellwell_usa's stud_0691: I would list three. The first is that one we've touched on already today. Which is that memory is fixed that if I'm struggling with memory loss, that's it. I'm stuck. It's only downhill So that's the first misconception Again, we know from research our memory is malleable. It's plastic we can Continue to improve it not just functionally.

So not just in the way that we use it But also structurally, we can see changes in our brain structure based on our habits and what we do. So that's the first misconception. The second misconception is that memory loss or any kind of memory issue or challenge is automatically an indicator of a memory impairment or disease.

And that's a misconception. It can be, it could be an indicator, but in the same way that we don't automatically assume a headache is a sign of a tumor. We want to also be mindful and consider what are other reasons we might be struggling with memory issues. Is it stress? Is it a tension? Is it lack of sleep?

They may be a whole host of other things that we. may want to explore first before we look at the disease as a concern. And the third is one that we're probably all, have experienced at some point, which is the idea that just doing something once to improve our memory, we should see results right away, or permanent results.

I'm not sure anything, of course, but it can be an important reminder for myself included that just because I did one quick run or one quick 20 minutes of free drawing doesn't mean my memory is going to be forever intact, even for the day or the whole week. And so having that patience and that reminder that it's habit building.

We want to create habits that are lifelong for our memory.

Thanks again, Dr. Pakenham.

[00:32:28] John Salak: Before we move on, we wanted to again encourage listeners to take advantage of the hundreds of exclusive discounts WellWell offers on a range of health and wellness products and services. These cover everything from fitness and athletic equipment to dietary supplements, personal care products, organic foods and beverages, and more.

Signing up is easy and free. Just visit us at WellWellUSA. com. Go to Milton's Discounts in the top menu bar, and the sign up form will appear. Signing up will just take seconds, but the benefits can last for years. Okay, so now we know our memory isn't a simple thing. It is comprised of various elements and repositories that can be affected at almost any age by various factors.

We also know that dreaded diseases are not always the cause of these lapses. But it is equally apparent that undermining our working memory, which essentially means our ability to deal with information, will have a negative impact on our social, professional, and family lives. This is why it is essential to address memory issues directly.

The good news is that there are ways to support memory and brain health. This applies to adults as well as children who may be dealing with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more. This support, particularly for adults, can include identifying and altering lifestyle elements that undermine their working memory.

There are numerous other factors and positive adjustments that can be made as well that touch on diet, exercise and activities. Testing is also available to help move the process along. That's it for this episode. We'd like to thank Dr. Traci Pakram Allaway for helping clear up the issues surrounding memory loss and function.

Among her many notable achievements, she is also the author of The Working Memory Advantage. an important book. To learn more about her work and insights, we'd recommend visiting TracyPakadum. com. That's Tracy, T R A C Y, P A M, P A C K I A M. com. So, thanks again for listening to this episode of What the Health.

We hope you'll join us again.