Piquing Curiosity Could Stimulate Aging Memories

According to the latest research, piquing your aging loved one's interest in an activity could, indeed, help him/her. 

The more interested we are in a topic, the easier it is to learn about that topic, according to recent research published in the journal Neuron. For most of us, it is surprising that it took a research study to make the discovery. But, then again, it could be a new direction for efforts to improve memory in the healthy elderly and to develop new approaches for treating patients with disorders that affect memory.

For example, the brain circuits that rely on dopamine, a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells, tend to decline in function as people get older, or sooner in people with neurological conditions. Understanding the relationship between motivation and memory could help find ways to keep the brain signals flowing. 

Maybe seniors do not learn as much about new technologies, or other new innovations, just because their interests have not been sufficiently aroused. Perhaps they forget things just because they have lost interest in them. Maybe enhanced curiosity can help bring the senior brain to life.

Why not tell your aging loved one about all the interesting things he/she could read and do if he/she learned a bit about the computer? Is there a grandchild or other family member he/she could communicate with using a computer or tablet?

For more about this study, visit http://blogs.ucdavis.edu/egghead/2014/10/02/curiosity-helps-learning-and-memory