5 Questions to Ask a Cognitive Neurologist

1. How can I tell if my forgetfulness is normal or something I should worry about?

If your memory lapses have become common enough that the people around you have expressed concerns over it, or you regularly experience the following, schedule a chat with your primary care physician:

• Getting lost in familiar areas
• Repeating the same questions
• Forgetting basic words
• Having trouble completing basic, familiar tasks
• Frequently misplacing items

2. Could stress, lack of sleep, or some other health issue be affecting my memory?

Several factors and conditions can affect your memory, and they don’t necessarily mean you are experiencing cognitive decline. These include:

• Going through a stressful time
• Mental health conditions like depression and anxiety
• Side effects of certain medications
• Head injuries
• Substance abuse disorder
• Nutritional deficiencies or dehydration
• Having trouble sleeping
• Thyroid imbalances

3. What are some lifestyle habits that can help keep my brain sharp?

Frost and Cliatt Brown recommend the following healthy lifestyle habits to their patients:

• Stay physically active by getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day.
• Eat a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean or MIND diets, which include leafy greens, whole grains, healthy fats, and low-fat animal proteins, such as fish or poultry.
• Get enough sleep each night.
• Limit alcohol and avoid smoking.
• Manage controllable risk factors that can increase the risk of dementia, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea.
• Wear your eyeglasses or hearing aids if you need them.
• Stay social, whether that be with family members, friends, neighbors, religious organization groups, or volunteering.
• Partake in a variety of activities you enjoy that also challenge you mentally, such as puzzles, reading, art, board games, or knitting.

4. What can I expect during a cognitive screening?

If you have concerns, you don’t need to go straight to a cognitive neurologist. Your primary care physician can get you started with a basic cognitive screening, which usually consists of a written test that only takes a few minutes to complete. If you struggle with the test, that may point to an issue with your cognitive function, and you may be referred to a neurologist for further testing.

5. I have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. What are some early warning signs I should look for?

“Especially in people age 65 and older, the most common early symptoms of Alzheimer’s are going to relate to memory, like not remembering recent conversations and events,” Cliatt Brown explains. “Another concern would be losing skills you had mastered cognitively. For example, if you’ve always done a lot of woodworking and now you can’t build a simple chair that should be really easy for you, that’s a concerning sign.”

>>Read full article