685 Memory Misadventures

If you’ve ever had something on the tip of your tongue that you just couldn’t recall, you know how frustrating it is to have trouble retrieving information from the memory banks. Is it because we store too many factoids as we age? There’s nothing more embarrassing than running into an old acquaintance and not remembering his name, unless it is repeatedly mislaying your glasses. Normal aging has an impact on memory, but there are ways to compensate. Guests: Martha Weinman Lear, formerly staff writer for the New York Times magazine and author of Where Did I Leave My Glasses?: The what, when and why of normal memory loss. Yaakov Stern, PhD, division leader of the cognitive neuroscience division at the Taub Institute at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and professor of clinical neuropsychology and head of neuropsychology for the Memory Disorder Center at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Barry Gordon, MD, PhD, behavioral neurologist and cognitive neuroscientist. He is a founding member of the Mind-Brain Institute and directed the division of cognitive neurology-neuropsychology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Click here to download our podcast.