As the population ages and lives longer, the rate of memory disorders is increasing. The National Institutes of Health warn that the number of people with memory impairment could double by 2050. It’s almost inevitable that if you make it to age 90, you’ll have some memory loss, if not an actual memory disorder like Alzheimer’s or dementia. Memory disorders can also crop up in young people who suffer from schizophrenia and depression.
Encouragingly, neuroscientists like Bowdoin’s Erika Nyhus are making headway in understanding how memory works — how our brains make, retain and retrieve memories. The work Nyhus is doing in her lab in the basement of Kanbar Hall could one day lead to better diagnoses and treatments for people with disordered memories. It could also lead to methods for sharpening the memories of those of us who bemoan our own normal but imperfect brains. Read more.