10 replies to this topic

[Wingless]

Lately I've noticed that my short term memory appears to be very poor. I'll find myself losing my train of thought often and it's hard to talk to others who don't talk about things in a linear fashion.

 

I've started taking Huperzine-A for the past couple of months, usually one or two tablets which have 80mcg each. Lately I've been taking them more often, several days a week instead of 1-2x doses a week. I also have a lot of experience taking choline supplements but have not noticed much there, CDP Choline was the most effective but far too expensive to take daily.

 

I am wondering though, is nicotine a potential solution here? I'm not really into vaping but I have tried nicotine gum on occasion and it definitely helps improve my attention (amongst other pro-cognitive effects), however considering that it's habit-forming I am a little hesitant to use it daily.

Edited by Wingless, 09 July 2016 - 09:13 PM.

[thedevinroy]

Nicotine is really bad for your gums...

The cheapest option is to up your Huperzine A dose. I take 400 mcg 2x a day and am an almost healthy 28 year old male (a little overweight, but working on lowering fat content). Effectiveness is not much better beyond that. Get it from Vitacost but there might be cheaper places.

Everyone is different. My tolerance to the side effects is pretty high, so I don't get the sedation or headaches, but I do get looser stools still, just not as bad. Every so often I'll take a weekend off and increase exercise and social activity to see if it is still working. It always kicks right back in!

Lecithin and chai seeds are another combo that give me a boost in that area. Tablespoon of each. Liquid lecithin is better. I wish chai seeds were crushed up already... They are so nasty in texture - like little crunchy slime balls. Similar to lady finger slime, so if you're into okra, you'll be fine.

Edited by devinthayer, 09 July 2016 - 09:49 PM.

[jroseland]

One of the most effective solutions for improving short-term memory is dual n-back brain training. It has a lot of science behind it and you'll notice within just a week or two your short-term memory improving.

[William Sterog]

Cardio and meditation are probably the main things you should try.

[Wingless]

Cardio and meditation are probably the main things you should try.

I do both regularly, haven't noticed much of a change in short term memory.

[psychejunkie]

 

Cardio and meditation are probably the main things you should try.

I do both regularly, haven't noticed much of a change in short term memory.

 

 

Which kind of meditation are you practicing? probably mindfulness-based meditation won't help you! what you need is something like Jungian Active Imagination, tracking/monitoring thought and thought processes (metacognition) without judgment, manipulation or control. 

 

I used to have weak working-memory, but doing Active Imagination like practices did very well for me, and mindfulness-based meditations actually worsens it.

[Guinga]

ALCAR+Pregnenolone is the best thing that worked fo my memory so far. i had a pretty shitty memory since aways. the kind that aways makes me go into places just not to remenber what i was going to do there in the first place. in my house and outside, on a dayly basis. unfortunately i had to stop taking the combination, because somehow the pregnenolone made my rhinitis ten times worse. but the week i took it it really felt like something out of fiction. the acute effects probably would fade away but i think i would keep some of the enhancement. neither the pregnenolone or alcar alone had any effects that come close to the combination. for the lack of better description i would say that the effects of this combination were pretty close to this: https://www.youtube....h?v=98C4sSCZmQw

Edited by Guinga, 13 July 2016 - 05:43 AM.

[PeopleProgrammer]

If you take large doses of choline bitartrate and uridine monophosphate, you will actually synthesize CDP-choline in vivo. Much cheaper than buying CDP-choline. Also, its important to note that nicotine itself has a very low addiction potential, I've been using it on and off for years. The reason cigarettes are addictive is because the nicotine is combined with a MAOI.

Edited by PeopleProgrammer, 14 July 2016 - 05:59 AM.

[Tomaski]

 Rhodiola and Bacopa for sure. Gotu kola has overlapping mechanisms with Bacopa (they are both called Brahmi) so thats an easy adjunct. Classic Piracetam and CDP-Choline with high DHA Omega-3s some Uridine and/or CDP-Choline. Search for the "mr happy stack" good luck

 

[psychejunkie]

guys!

Short-Term Memory != Working Memory.

what Op has described as his weaknesses (losing train of thought, etc) is related to Working Memory, not Short-Term memory.

 

 

Working memory, a core executive function, is a cognitive system with a limited capacity that is responsible for the transient holding, processing, and manipulation of information.^[1][2]

 

 

Working memory is often used synonymously with short-term memory, but neuropsychologists have noted that the two forms of memory are distinct, particularly since they arise from different neural subsystems within the prefrontal cortex.^[1] Working memory is a short-term memory buffer that allows for the manipulation of stored information, while short-term memory is only involved in the short-term storage of information and does not entail the manipulation or organization of material held in memory.^[1][3] Working memory also develops later and at a slower pace than short-term memory.^[1]

also:

 

 

The cognitive processes needed to achieve this include the executive and attention control of short-term memory, which permit the interim integration, processing, disposal, and retrieval of information.

(all from Wiki)

 

Op's problems arise from poor Attention and Executive Control over Short-Term Memory which is "Working Memory" in concept, not poor Short-Term Memory itself.

So I still stay by my recommendation of practicing Jungian Active Imagination-like exercises (Thought/Thought Process Monitoring without Judgment, Manipulation and Control) or N-Back Training (less effective).

 

I have, myself, experienced Op's problem and did almost everything to improve it, but only these helped me.

[thedevinroy]

Agreed.  That does sound like a more classic brain fart scenario than just poor recall of little tidbits of information learned throughout the day.

 

Hypersomnia can often be the cause of brain farts like that.  Might just need some modafinil if it's like a low-level narcolepsy, or better rest otherwise.  CDD/ADHD-PI is a possibility, so a little Ritalin could go a long way.  Either way, I wouldn't rule out the effects of irregular sleep patterns.  It can spin out of control with something like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea.  Then there's the whole burn out possibility, in which cortisol levels were so high, it caused neuronal death and/or adrenal damage... in which case, stimulants are the opposite of helpful, and you just need to chill out, maybe try the Lemon Balm or Bacopa an hour before bed (set an alarm).

 

All possibilities for consistent brain farting.  Is there a better word for that?  Oh yeah, poor working memory.  Sorry, brain fart.  (Just kidding...)  Definitely a correlation there with fluid intelligence.  Improving one improves the other, usually.

Edited by devinthayer, 24 July 2016 - 06:16 AM.