Short Term Memory : A Look At Short Term Memory Problems and How It Affects Learning

Short term memory problems can significantly impact learning new information or retaining new events in a person’s life. The ability to function in the present and future can be drastically altered if a person has severe limitations in short term memory. The question is what, if anything, can be done to help a person with short term memory loss.

How you get short term memory loss can vary greatly. For some it is due to aging. For others it could be the side effect of various drugs that they are using. Head injury, stress and depression also reduce short term recall and cognitive functions. Stroke can damage sections of the brain involved in memory as well.

Extreme short term memory loss is usually the result of head trauma or a progressive disease like Alzheimer’s or dementia. There have also been cases where radical brain surgery has removed the ability of a patient to hold information in short term memory, but those cases are rare.

Studies on memory and learning show that short term memory problems can be a factor in a person’s ability to learn new things. Short term memory is usually the starting place for processing information, events ,etc. into our long term memory storage. If a person has issues utilizing short term memory then they will often have problems with learning facts, names, figures, etc.

Diagnosing short term memory problems can be tricky. It usually involves both physical and psychological testing to determine the root cause. How you get short term memory loss is important in how it is treated of if treatment is even possible.

Obviously if the root cause for the short term memory problems a person faces are due to drug side effects or stress then changing the drugs or reducing the stress will probably bring an improvement in recall and a boost in learning.

If the root causes is injury or trauma then usually only time and letting the body heal itself will determine if any ability to recall is recovered or maintained. Learning new things will probably be a struggle during this process until the brain adjusts and is able to either heal or adapt to the damage…assuming it is not too severe.

Extreme short term memory loss will usually inhibit the learning process permanently. There are some prescription drugs that can help with recall issues caused by Alzheimer’s or dementia, but they often have troubling side effects of their own. Certain natural supplements containing things like Ginkgo, Ginseng, huperzine A as well as B complex vitamins have shown some promising results in recent studies. In fact some studies directed toward natural remedies and Alzheimer’s treatment determined that some supplements geared for memory protection and enhancement worked as well as prescription drugs in certain patients, but without similar side effects.

The studies also indicated that supplements can help with the issue of how you get short term memory loss. They noted that use of certain herbals can help stimulate neurotransmitter production as well as the protection of those brain chemicals from age related decline. Herbals have also demonstrated an ability to maintain memory function and protect nerve cells from damage due to free radicals as well as helping the brain adjust to stress without reducing function.

For those who’s short term memory problems stem from injury or trauma using memory aids such as writing things down or using repetition can help compensate for reduced recall, provided that the person retains at least some function. This may help people continue to learn and retain information while injured, but requires more time making the learning process slower than normal.

Depending on the cause of the recall issue, there is hope for some that learning can continue. The brain is a mysterious organ though and much more is still needing to be discovered about how it works. Continuing research on brain function and remedies for memory loss are helping bridge that gap, but it is still a long road.