We all fantasize about spending a happy life with our chosen partner and building a library of sweet and meaningful memories with them and our families. Memories that can make us live even without wealth in our old age, memories that we would all keep and treasure.
50 First Dates is the Adam Sandler movie we all love. It is a movie that reminds us of how our memories of yesterday are necessary for tomorrow. And who wouldn’t go out of his way to try to prolong a woman’s memory (like videotape every day) if that future wife is as beautiful as * Drew Barrymore *, right? The moments we have spent with our loved ones are as priceless as life itself.
A very unfamiliar scene greeted me and I was surprised by a lazy afternoon that I decided to walk through the nearby blocks. At the community park, an elderly couple (both in their 70s in my estimation) were hanging out as teenagers on a date back in time when parks were a romantic date spot. Regardless, the man still looked strong enough despite his bald head. The old woman seemed more lethargic and weak.
Amazed at the unfamiliarity, I tried to have a conversation / interview with the elderly couple. I want to ask a question or two about how to have a marriage or relationship that lasts so long, something that is almost non-existent these days. Fortunately, the old man was welcomed by anyone to chat. But five minutes after our conversation (with the old man doing most of the talking), I noticed that the old woman did not suspect what was happening next to her. Looking so unconscious, I gave her a “hello, how are you ma’am?” And what I got in return dropped my jaw to the ground. “Who are you two?” she asked. It was Alzheimer’s disease, the old man finally confessed. The date was one of the old man’s attempts to remind his wife of the life they had shared and worked hard for.
Back home, I went online and researched the latest news on memory and Alzheimer’s. Browsing through, I came across an article in the July 11 issue of Current Biology that talks about the latest findings in memory and sleep studies. As I read, I discovered that somewhere in the premise of 50 First Dates there was fuzzy logic. Anyway, it’s a movie (very commercial at that) so expecting a very academic fact and logical flow will probably be frustrating in the end. But still, I love the movie for eternity.
Jeffrey Ellenbogen of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues at the University of Oregon and the University of Pennsylvania conducted an experiment that attempted to establish the link between sleep and memory. Five groups of 12 people each were assigned a list of 20 pairs of words to memorize.
Two groups (the sleep group) memorized the partners at 9 p.m. and were asked to return at 9 a.m. the next day after a night’s sleep to assess their memory. Two other groups (the Wake groups) who memorized the words at 9 a.m. M. They were asked to come back at 9 p.m. M. After a full day. The last group was trained at 9 p.m. and asked to return after 24 hours.
One from the Sleep and Wake group was selected for an additional assignment. Named Sleep-1 and Wake-1 respectively, they were given a second list of 20 pairs of words (half of which are the same as the list in the first group) for their memory test. After memorizing the second list, the groups were subjected to a distraction test before their memory test. The following results were obtained: wakefulness group with 82 percent, sleep group with 94 percent, wakeful group-1 with 32 percent, sleep-1 with 71 percent, and the 24-hour group with an average of 71 percent.
The results established the link between sleeping and retaining recent memories. Cramming can only be good if one is going to take the exam immediately after the review. In addition, it suggests that sleeping can help retain not only memories of events, but also memories of learned skills or non-declarative memory (such as Lucy’s drawing skill in 50 First Dates). The results are now being studied further to possibly help improve current therapies available for memory deficiency patients.
But what the study did not take into account is the possibility of episodic memory turning into non-declarative memory, which was the case with Lucy who retained not only her ability to draw, but also Henry’s face (although the retention it did not make sense).
I wish that one day an in-depth study can finally reveal more about how we can better handle the complexities of the mind. Memories are more important than any inheritance or wealth accumulated over time. A lost memory is like a life that was lived and then left meaningless. This is an even scarier thought for single or divorced seniors who won’t have a loving partner to take them to the park to help them regain their memories.