Memory

Of all our mental activities, the ability to remember is perhaps the most important. Our memory is defined as the specific mental function that records, stores, and recalls information. It is therefore a registry of our experiences, which are stratified and form a deposit. Man’s intimate identity is thus built on the preservation of memory, which is in turn the basis for continuous ideation.

The information that reaches the different visual, acoustic, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory compartments of the brain are pieces of a puzzle that must be brought together, ordered and orchestrated by the hippocampus, considered the arbiter of memories, a nervous structure needed to recreate the full scene, integrate sensations, and relive memories. Long-term memory consolidation likely involves the transfer of information to other parts of the brain. Ultimately, the hippocampus is considered a memory space in which information is integrated for short periods of time (short-term memory), before being transferred to other cortical structures that will transform it into long-term memory.

Memory impairment

Memory impairment assumes a different meaning depending on a person’s age. In children it is often related to easy fatigue or delayed and slow learning, in young adults it tends to be manifested when studies are resumed or while preparing for exams, and in the elderly, it is mainly due to a process of involution, where serious memory loss can often be an early sign of dementia.

The cognitive processes of memory and concentration, study, and exam preparation require an additional supply of vitamins and minerals, especially at the start of the school year or coarse of studies, when the body needs to perform at its best, and particularly in the case of those with learning difficulties.

Medicinal plants

Certain medicinal plants such as Bacopa monnieri, native to India, can enhance mnemonic potential and mental activity, particularly in conditions of intense stress, counteracting cognitive impairment and preventing the consequences, especially if used early on. Nutritional supplements such as taurine, homotaurine, uridine monophosphate, vitamin C, D, and E, contribute to improving our mnemonic capacity.