Aug 28 2008
Mental-pause: It’s all in your mind
Note: This guest-post is by Eileen Williams, the owner of “The Feisty Side of Fifty.” It’s part of my Introductions series while I’m touring. Enjoy! And be sure to visit Eileen at her blog.
Many women over fifty complain they become more forgetful. In fact, some have affectionately dubbed this phenomenon “mental-pause,” and there are real physiological reasons behind it. There are estrogen receptors throughout your brain, including the hippocampus, and this is the part involved in certain aspects of memory. So, when estrogen levels drop, your brain and your ability for recall are affected.
In fact, I know this to be true in my own life. Things seem to be slipping through the cracks, and every day brings fresh surprises and more than a few awkward moments. I have to confess to frequently drifting off into my personal, inner space—not certain where that is, but I can assure you it’s well endowed with black holes.
So, are we older gals forever doomed to sending out those embarrassing “I forgot your birthday” cards? Will we never again recall with ease telephone numbers, significant dates, or names of those near to us? Will endless searches for our glasses, important papers, or that great book we were reading be our final destiny? Not so fast—there’s some good news too!
In her book about women’s second adulthood, Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, Suzanne Braun Levine provides us with some exiting data concerning the aging brain. Dr. Francine Benes, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has discovered that there is a growth spurt that takes place in the human brain around the age of fifty. Myelin, which is the fatty layer that covers nerve fibers, actually grows about fifty percent during this time. This coating is responsible for aiding the brain to more effectively synthesize life experiences and to enhance the ability to make thoughtful judgments and prudent decisions.
Even better, the location of this growth spurt is found within the area of the cerebral cortex that is identified with emotional learning. Perhaps, as Levine suggests, this myelin growth factor may likely play a part in creating the highly revered trait that we call wisdom.
So, next time we hunt for our car keys, call our son by the dog’s name, or forget to tell our husband his boss phoned, we have to remember that somewhere in our noggin there’s a whole heap of wisdom going on!
Eileen Williams
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August 29th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
A growth spurt, huh? I’m 51 and still waiting on mine!
Nice article Eileen!
August 30th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Great article, Eileen. This is such a great testament to the power of women working together. Suzanne is an amazing writer, and allowing bloggers that she knows to write posts for her is a fabulous opportunity. Good for both of you.
Sally
http://www.drsallywitt.com
August 31st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I laughed out loud at “call our son by the dog’s name” – my Mother used to do that to my brother!! Hahahaha – of course he turned out to be kind of a dog so maybe she wasn’t having a “mental-pause” moment at all!!
For the little things – dates, appointments, grocery lists – I have a smart phone that I put everything in, and I mean everything! From reminding myself to clean my AC vents, to setting the timer on my DVR for a favorite program, even to remind myself to paint my toenails!!! This phone then actually speaks the appointment to me out loud:
“Oh, Great Mistress of the Universe, you have an appointment to get your hair spiked today at 2″
“My Great and Powerful Queen of the World, please walk your dog as she is attempting to piddle on your shoes.”
Of course, I have to thumb type in all that crap, but it’s so much fun when one of them goes off in front of someone!!!!!
Hahahaha! Have a great Labor Day Weekend, my Feisty Friend – I just put up your new logo on my graphics samples page at popartdiva.com (I’m so proud of it).
November 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
[...] posted as a guest blogger at Great Adaptations, and wrote of a growth spurt in the human brain at age 50. The layer called myelin that coats the nerve fibers actually grows, [...]
March 7th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Thanks for all the useful information. Your insight is very keen. Keep it up.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:24 am
i also use infolinks on 3 of my blogs and it is also earning as much as adsense. :-,
May 17th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
When you reach menopause, you may need some hormone replacement therapy just to stay on top shape.:`*
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:35 am
have anyone noticed that infolinks earnings this week have been a bit lower.:;;
July 26th, 2010 at 7:49 am
you can also reduce the sypmtoms of menopause by having hormone replacement therapy.`”,