WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:03.560 Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World 2 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.799 night Side Studios on w b Z the news Radio. 3 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.919 We're very fortunate to be joined tonight by doctor Andrew Budson. 4 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:16.359 He's a neurologist, Harvard trained, Harvard Medical School trained, and 5 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:19.120 now teachers at Boston University School of Medicine. 6 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:23.679 Almost everyone of any age, uh, is, you know, wishing 7 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:28.600 that they could remember things better. And it's a little 8 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:32.799 bit hard to know sort of historically, like have people 9 00:00:32.920 --> 00:00:36.240 sort of always struggled with their memory? Is this something new? 10 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:39.240 And I think it's a little bit of each you know. 11 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:44.600 Just historically was actually the ancient Greeks that came up 12 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:49.200 with this method that used to be called the method 13 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:52.159 of Losai and we now call it like a memory 14 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:56.840 palace or something like that, where they learned that if 15 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:01.759 you picture yourself walking through through your home or another 16 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:05.599 place that you know well, you can remember a large 17 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.959 variety of people or you know, items for your grocery 18 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:15.079 list or for your holiday shopping by sort of putting 19 00:01:15.239 --> 00:01:19.400 different items into different rooms and even different sort of 20 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:22.719 parts of different rooms, and then you can end up 21 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:27.159 retrieving the memory by walking through it. And I bring 22 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:30.879 up this example to just say, even two thousand years ago, 23 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:34.760 you know, people were working on being you know, trying 24 00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:37.560 to be able to remember things better. But there's no 25 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:42.760 doubt that in today's society there's all sorts of pressures 26 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:46.159 going on that I just think, you know, weren't really there, 27 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:49.400 you know, one hundred years or so. 28 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:49.480 So. 29 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:55.200 People deprive themselves of sleep, We spend way too much 30 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:01.480 time watching television. People don't eat healthy foods. There's way 31 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:05.359 too much processed food. You know, people aren't social in 32 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.560 the post pandemic world like they used to be. We 33 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:11.599 don't exercise enough. Then, you know, I can go sort 34 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:14.520 of on and on about these changes, and I think 35 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:20.039 it's all of these changes that have affected people's memories, 36 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:22.960 whether they're older and they're coming to my clinic with 37 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:27.599 memory problems, or whether they're my students and my other 38 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:30.280 trainees who are struggling to remember things. 39 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:33.560 Well. I think the article that we were first interested 40 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:37.759 we first picked up some of this by the Globe 41 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:42.599 report of Felice Fryar talked about millennials, meaning people who 42 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:48.080 are now probably you know, as young as twenty eight 43 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:50.520 and as old as forty five, people who were born 44 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:55.520 between nineteen eighty one in nineteen ninety six. Normally people 45 00:02:55.560 --> 00:03:01.960 in that age category, you don't associate memory loss with them. 46 00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:06.080 Yeah, no, it's it's really true. But I do think 47 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:11.280 it has to do with, you know, how we're changing 48 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:13.759 as the society and the things that we tend to 49 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:17.719 spend our time doing. You know. So you know, I 50 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:20.000 mentioned a couple of those things. Let me just mention 51 00:03:20.120 --> 00:03:23.719 a few more so you know, all of us, but 52 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:29.439 I think, especially millennials, spend time multitasking. And the fact 53 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:33.919 of the matter is our brains actually can't really do 54 00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:38.360 two things at once unless one of them is really 55 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:43.680 completely unconscious. Like we can like walk and talk to 56 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:46.919 a friend at the same time, but it is impossible 57 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:51.800 to be like trying to take in the information that 58 00:03:51.879 --> 00:03:55.520 your teacher is telling you while you're looking at your 59 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:57.960 cell phone at the same time. You know, people can't 60 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.759 really do these things. You can't watch television while you're 61 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:06.240 studying for your notes, so while you're listening to your 62 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:08.800 spouse tell you what you should be, you know, getting 63 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.120 at the market or something like that. Sure, and so 64 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:14.800 instead we shift our attention from one thing to another, 65 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.560 back and forth, and we end up not remembering either 66 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:21.279 of those things as well as we would if we 67 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:23.839 could do one of those things at a time. 68 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:27.360 Okay, what about the reliance of young people? And I'm 69 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:31.199 gonna probably upset some of my audience, but people who 70 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:35.319 spend a lot of time on the computer, because there 71 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:37.600 are studies now that show a lot of the stuff 72 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:41.439 on the computers. It's just not good for you. I mean, 73 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.360 it's addictive. And I find myself sometimes you'll see the 74 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:47.240 reels and you'll see some kid who was, you know, 75 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:51.279 twenty years you ten years old and looks like a 76 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:54.079 major league pitcher or some person who hits a golf shot, 77 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:56.279 you know, and you watch it. It rolls three inches 78 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.839 from the pin, and you say, well, let's see what 79 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:00.680 the next one is. Let's see what the next one is. 80 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:03.759 How much of a problem is that, Because it seems 81 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:06.399 to me that the arrival of computers, the home personal 82 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:10.240 computers kind of coincides with this that generation of people 83 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:10.959 coming of age. 84 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:15.759 Well, I think it's it's all of this sort of 85 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:21.000 ability to sort of do sort of mindless things. And 86 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:26.160 you know, it's sort of an overused analogy that you know, 87 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:28.560 your brain is sort of like a muscle that you 88 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:31.480 have to sort of use it or lose it. But 89 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:37.319 but there really is evidence that when we are you know, 90 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:44.560 actively creatively, you know, using our brains in social interactions 91 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:48.319 or when we're problem solving and you know, doing things 92 00:05:48.360 --> 00:05:52.120 at work, having interactions with people, all of those things 93 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:55.240 are using your brain in the way that your brain 94 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:00.639 evolved to do things, and and it helps to keep 95 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:06.600 it strong, including keeping your memory strong. And there were 96 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:12.920 these pair of articles that came out from the very 97 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.920 large study in the United Kingdom of about five hundred 98 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:21.839 thousand middle aged people called the UK Biobank, and what 99 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:26.480 they found is that people who spent more than an 100 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:31.399 hour a day watching television, you know, they ended up 101 00:06:31.480 --> 00:06:35.199 number one in one study. It showed that they're thinking 102 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:40.639 and memory actually got worse over the time in the 103 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:45.279 study if they spent that much time on television. And 104 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:48.720 then another study actually showed that they were at increased 105 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:53.680 risk of getting Alzheimer's disease as they got older. And 106 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:57.000 I think that you know, using the computer in a 107 00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:59.959 way that you're just you know, watching videos and getting 108 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:04.480 entertainment's essentially the same thing as watching television not good 109 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:05.079 for your brain. 110 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:09.399 Yeah, it's certainly not interactive, that is for sure. My 111 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:14.160 guess is doctor Andrew Butdson. He's a neurologist and expert 112 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:16.839 in memory loss. We're talking about memory loss of both 113 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:19.519 young and old. We'll break it down if you have 114 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:23.720 any question about things that you may have forgotten. And 115 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.160 I think a lot of people, particularly those of us 116 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.920 on the wrong side of fifty, as I refer to it, 117 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:33.279 when we do forget where's my phone or where mccar key's, 118 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.000 many of us get into a panicainsay, it was just 119 00:07:37.040 --> 00:07:40.279 the first sign. And we'll ask doctor Budson about that 120 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:44.759 and how all of us He's hinted at a little bit, 121 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:47.959 how all of us can sharpen our memories, both on 122 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:52.040 both short term, midterm and from the days when we 123 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:55.079 were young. Because it's funny, I'm told, and I think 124 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:58.120 Doctor Butdson will probably confirm it for me that there 125 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:01.240 are things that you easily re member from when you 126 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:04.040 were in the fifth grade of the sixth grade, but 127 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:07.319 you have more difficult time remembering maybe the names of 128 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:09.519 your college classmates. I'm going to ask you about that 129 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:12.800 phenomenon as well, but you have probably better questions than 130 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.360 I do. So six one, seven, two five four ten 131 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:17.800 thirty or six one seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. 132 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:21.439 It's not often you can talk with the neurologist of 133 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:26.920 doctor Budson's stature about yourself or maybe about someone who 134 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:29.639 you're close to. We'll be back on Night's side right 135 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:33.360 after this with doctor Andrew Budson of Boston University. 136 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:37.240 Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World 137 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.480 Light Side Studios on w b Z, the news radio. 138 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:43.679 We are very fortunate to be joined tonight by doctor 139 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:49.200 Andrew Budson. He's a neurologist UH Harvard trained, Harvard Medical 140 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:52.799 School trained and now teachers at Boston University School of Medicine. 141 00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:56.080 And doctor Budson were joined by my delighted to be 142 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:59.519 joined by my great friend and anchor person here at 143 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:02.559 w b Nicole Davis, who during the break said, could 144 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:05.360 I ask doctor Butson a question? And I said, Hey, 145 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:07.720 come on, of course you can. If that's okay with you, 146 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:09.000 Doctor Buttson say. 147 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:12.120 Hello to no of course, Hi doctor, how are you? 148 00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:14.960 Thanks for being here tonight. This is really really important information. 149 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:16.519 You know. 150 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:19.639 I'm in my late thirties and I have found, especially 151 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:23.399 over the past five six years, I am one of 152 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:25.320 the many people who are starting to develop a lot 153 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.200 of these symptoms. You know, not just remembering food and 154 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:30.919 TV programs and stuff from back in the nineties better 155 00:09:30.919 --> 00:09:32.960 than I do last week, but you know, it's more 156 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:36.360 serious than that at times. My question is I know 157 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:39.600 that a lot of us elder millennials, we x aennials, 158 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:41.840 I think we're called those of us almost forty at 159 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:45.679 this point, we're being diagnosed later in life as neurodivergent 160 00:09:46.279 --> 00:09:50.759 with either autism. I was diagnosed late with ADHD. How 161 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.559 much of a correlation do you see between what you're 162 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:59.519 noticing on the neurological side of things and neurodivergency. 163 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:06.559 Yeah, it's a very good point. And let's start with 164 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:15.240 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. So the key to 165 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:18.600 being able to remember things is to be able to 166 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:25.320 pay attention to them, and so anyone who is diagnosed 167 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:29.879 with ADHD it sort of means by definition, they have 168 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:36.000 difficulty paying attention. And it's something that anybody can have 169 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:39.879 from time to time. In fact, what the average person, 170 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:45.279 including myself, does when we find our attention lagging is 171 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:47.360 we take a little bit of a stimulant, and of 172 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:51.559 course most of us don't use a pill, but use 173 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:55.320 either a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, a 174 00:10:55.440 --> 00:11:01.080 caffeinated soda, or something like that. That stimulation helps us 175 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.399 to pay attention and then we can actually remember things better. 176 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:11.440 So people who suffer from attention deficit disorder with or 177 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:17.639 without the hyperactivity are absolutely you know, going to have 178 00:11:17.799 --> 00:11:21.200 more difficulty to remember things. And I would like to 179 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.120 comment that, you know, this is a disorder that is 180 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:30.879 being diagnosed so much more commonly now in our society 181 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:33.960 than it used to be. And I'm actually a firm 182 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:38.720 believer that, you know, the problem isn't necessarily with the people. 183 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.559 The problem may be with what our society has told 184 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.759 people that they need to do. I mean, I can 185 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:50.159 promise you that when human beings evolved, they did not 186 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:55.240 sit still, you know, for six hours a day, you know, scaring, 187 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:59.000 you know, at a blackboard in a classroom. You know, 188 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:04.799 that's just not how humans evolved. And so, you know, 189 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:09.240 I guess I'm sort of embracing the neurodiversity a little bit, 190 00:12:09.320 --> 00:12:12.840 like I don't think there's necessarily something wrong with people 191 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.639 who have ADHD and want to pay attention and to 192 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:20.919 remember things, you know, that are actually meaningful in their 193 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:24.480 lives in the real world, and they may have difficulty 194 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:29.279 in the in the classroom. And you know, autism is 195 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:34.600 a is a little bit trickier. Autism can mean a 196 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:38.759 lot of different things for different people. I actually happen 197 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:43.519 to have a son who is now twenty four years 198 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:52.360 old and actually has severe nonverbal autism, and so he, 199 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:55.840 you know, has his own you know, types of difficulties. 200 00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:00.440 But in general, when people have sort of very mild etism, 201 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:04.799 one common symptom that can happen is that people get 202 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:10.840 immersed and absorbed in one thing that they're really into, 203 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:16.399 and they may not be paying attention to other things 204 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.039 that someone else wants them to be remembering, and that 205 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:22.480 can cause a lot of difficulty remembering. 206 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:25.960 Yeah, follow a question, then, Dan, I'll step aside. You know, 207 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.639 we were the computer generation. I think you've talked about 208 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:32.000 this a couple of minutes ago. We grew up with computers. 209 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:33.679 I mean, you know, we had them in our schools 210 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:35.399 as they do now, but we were really the first 211 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:38.919 generation to lead that charge. Do you feel that we 212 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:42.399 our brains have almost had to develop differently to respond 213 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:44.879 to that, or do you feel that we're kind of 214 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:49.159 like older generational brains starting to try to battle a 215 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:52.639 generational issue that gen A and gen Z have already 216 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:54.000 physically been able to develop. 217 00:13:54.039 --> 00:14:01.360 For Yeah, I do think that the use of computers 218 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:06.559 and cell phones where one is able to get information 219 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:10.240 almost instantaneously, which of course we can do now with 220 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:16.200 almost anything from the webs, from chat, GPT, other AI programs, 221 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:21.600 we actually send a signal, an unconscious signal to our 222 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:26.240 brains that says, oh, you don't need to be able 223 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:28.759 to remember this, because you can just pull it right up. 224 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:35.840 So when you offload different things you're trying to remember 225 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:40.600 on the computer on your phone, it actually tells your 226 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:43.559 brain like, oh, I don't need to remember that because 227 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:45.600 I put it on my phone or I put it 228 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:50.240 on the computer. And people have actually done studies that 229 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:54.159 have proven this that this isn't just speculation. This is 230 00:14:54.200 --> 00:15:00.080 really true that we will remember things less if we, 231 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.240 you know, store them in our phone or in our computer. 232 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:05.200 That still might be the best place to put it, 233 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.159 you know, but but we're not going to remember it 234 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:13.039 in our heads. I think the really interesting question is 235 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:16.440 is is this a problem or is it a good thing? 236 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:19.919 Is it better to spend our time remembering things that 237 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.360 are important to us, you know, like that you know, 238 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:27.120 lovely luncheon that we had with a friend, or that 239 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:30.759 nice weekend that we spent you know with a child 240 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:33.759 or a parent or a grandchild or whatever that is. 241 00:15:33.879 --> 00:15:37.600 Maybe it's okay that we have trouble remembering you know, 242 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:42.080 the five million passwords that we need to remember, or 243 00:15:42.200 --> 00:15:44.600 this website or the thing that our boss wants us 244 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:45.159 to remember. 245 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:52.360 Me all right, Dan, thank you so much for the opportunity. 246 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:56.399 Thank you very much, great questions. As always, as always, 247 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:57.000 thanks to Cale. 248 00:15:58.039 --> 00:15:58.240 Yeah. 249 00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:02.919 I was the one who raised, I think, initially, the 250 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:08.080 the idea of storing in your in your phone numbers. 251 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:11.399 I remember it as a kid, I knew most of 252 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:14.799 my buddy's numbers, my friend's numbers, and even as a 253 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:19.000 you know, teenager and a single guy in his twenties. Uh, 254 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:21.919 you had no place to store them. You know, you 255 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:23.759 got a phone on them. You got to remember it, you. 256 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:27.039 Know a lot, absolutely, and. 257 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:29.279 Now you don't, I mean, put the put it in 258 00:16:29.320 --> 00:16:32.799 the cell phone. It doesn't matter. So it's just it's 259 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:37.919 it's interesting how you know how this has evolved. Uh, doctor, Butdson, 260 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.519 I got full lines here real quickly, so I got 261 00:16:40.519 --> 00:16:42.639 a whole bunch of people. I'm so glad that Nicole 262 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:46.559 stopped by and stepped out of the newsroom because your 263 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:49.720 questions were better than mine. Frankly, and I will I 264 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:52.320 will continue with questions, but I'm also going to get 265 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:55.720 to phone callers right after the break here, and whatever 266 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:59.080 age you are, whatever question you have, feel free. Uh, 267 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:02.240 doctor Andrew. But and it's one of those guests that 268 00:17:02.960 --> 00:17:07.759 I knew initially intuitively he'd be really good. Hasn't disappointed, 269 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:09.839 and I know he'll take your answers out and take 270 00:17:09.880 --> 00:17:12.720 your questions and give you some answers. The only one 271 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:15.720 line that just opened up is six one seven, nine 272 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:18.319 three one ten thirty, So if you're dotting anything other 273 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:20.559 than that, you're not going to get through six one 274 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:23.400 seven nine three, one ten thirty. Back with Larry and 275 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:26.640 Dennisport to start us off, Steve and Scott and Gina 276 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:29.519 and more calls coming back right after the news at 277 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:30.359 the bottom of the hour. 278 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:36.519 It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio. 279 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.440 Doctor Andrew Budson is my guest. Before we go to 280 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:42.319 phone's calls real quickly, if I could Doctor Budson, all 281 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:44.079 of us had this situation where one day it's like, 282 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:45.640 where's my phone, where's my phone? I know I had 283 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:48.440 my phone, where's my phone? We panic? Have you ever 284 00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:48.759 done that? 285 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:58.559 You know it'll probably and let me tell you why. 286 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:04.359 So we are all able to connect something to us 287 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:09.720 so intimately that we notice it immediately if it's not there. 288 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:13.799 And what I make a conscious effort to do is 289 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:17.119 always to take my phone with me everywhere, so it's 290 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:20.920 always within a hands reached away and then if it's 291 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.640 not in my pocket, you know where I expect it. 292 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:27.079 If it's not right next to me, I notice it immediately. 293 00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:30.279 So it's something I've actually learned to train myself to do. 294 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:34.119 And this is actually, you know, one of many tips 295 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:38.319 that we put in our book that you had so 296 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:39.799 kindly mentioned before. 297 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:43.359 Let me mention it again because different people maybe join us. 298 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:47.400 Why we forget and How to remember better? By my 299 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:52.960 guest doctor Andrew Budson and Professor Elizabeth Kensinger a Boston College. Okay, 300 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:55.480 so that's a great tip. Okay, I tend to be 301 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:59.640 a little run around my house and I'm doing things 302 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:02.759 simn taneously. This has got to be fixed. That's got 303 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:04.680 to be fixed. Oh yeah, the garage is still open. 304 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.359 Let me close the garage. Where the hell's the phone? 305 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:11.160 And your immediate panic is when did I last have it? 306 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.440 I mean, you know you might have had it five 307 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:15.480 minutes ago, but you're thinking, solf, Oh we could have 308 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:18.920 your thinking worst case scenario. Did I leave it at 309 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:23.200 the post office? Oh my god, you know it's a panic. 310 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:26.039 It's a panic, Doctor Budson, let's get the phone calls. 311 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:29.359 Go ahead, absolutely, yeah. I was just going to say 312 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:33.559 that that, you know, we all can train ourselves and 313 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:36.759 use tips so that things like that don't happen. But 314 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:38.359 let's let's get to the questions. 315 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:41.000 All right, here we go. Let's go to Larry down 316 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:44.119 on the Cape and Dennis Burt. Larry, you first tonight 317 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:46.680 on nights I would doctor Andrew. Butdson, what's your question 318 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:47.839 Larry or your comment? 319 00:19:49.319 --> 00:19:53.799 Oh, very interesting topic, Dan, and related to my question 320 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:55.519 that is going to be coming up. I'm going to 321 00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:58.200 send you an email on a on a related topic 322 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:02.559 of another person for a great interview. So here's my question. Okay, 323 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:11.079 here's my question. So, doctor, immediately following the Maderner vaccine, 324 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:16.000 actually the first booster, I developed all of these symptoms 325 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:20.319 mimicking long COVID, and one of them I classify and 326 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:24.640 call it brain fog, and if I change the subject, 327 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:27.319 I forget what I was talking about immediately. Have you 328 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:31.440 done any research on how much either the vaccine or 329 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:35.480 actually the COVID virus itself has affected people's memories. 330 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:39.680 Yeah, so that's a great question. I haven't done the 331 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:44.119 research myself, but I have written a couple of blogs 332 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:50.119 on COVID and on brain fog in particular, And it is, 333 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:57.960 first of all, very common for COVID to affect people's 334 00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:03.000 thinking and memory. And the virus can throw us for 335 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.079 a loop in many different ways, and the most common 336 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:12.119 way is it activates our immune system, you know, and 337 00:21:12.279 --> 00:21:16.039 makes us sort of feel sick. And the vaccine can 338 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:21.960 also activate our immune system, make us feel sick for 339 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:25.720 a day, and some people can feel sick more. The 340 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:28.880 brain is a very you know, it's like a very 341 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:32.160 sensitive instruments, you know, It's sort of like a finely 342 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:37.079 tuned violin, and if it's off a little bit, because 343 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:41.160 there's this immune response going on to try to protect 344 00:21:41.240 --> 00:21:45.039 us against COVID, we can notice it and it can 345 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:50.000 interfere with our thinking, our memory, our ability to pay 346 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:55.559 attention and concentrate, and yeah, it can mimic a long COVID. 347 00:21:55.920 --> 00:22:00.400 Are you feeling better now, resting? 348 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:05.200 It's been three years since I've had all these issues. Unfortunately, 349 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:07.319 then I got the real COVID last year and it's 350 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:10.440 laid up everything. So a lot of my symptoms are 351 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:15.359 getting better post exertion malaise is better, but I have 352 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:18.039 these other long term ones that won't go away. The 353 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:22.160 brain fog is one of them. This gastric problems and 354 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:25.640 this terrible neuropathy. They just will not leave after after 355 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:26.799 three years. 356 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:31.480 That that's that's terrible. Well for the for the brain fog, 357 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.880 there there are a few things that other people have 358 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:39.400 found helpful. The first is always to to listen to 359 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:45.119 your body, and you know, try to exercise, but but 360 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:47.960 listen to your body, and if your body says, hey, 361 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.319 this is enough, you know, just go ahead and stop. 362 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.680 It is important to make sure you get enough sleep. 363 00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.319 You may need a little bit more sleep than you 364 00:22:59.400 --> 00:23:05.319 did before. And it is important to eat healthy foods. 365 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:09.640 All of those things have helped people recover faster from 366 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:12.759 the brain fog. And then the last thing is that 367 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:17.759 you know there's no harm, there's no reason why you 368 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:23.200 shouldn't use perhaps a few more memory strategies or memory 369 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:27.480 aids than you used to. So, for example, let's say 370 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:30.359 you always knew how to keep track of your keys 371 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:32.920 and your wallet and your your cell phone, as we 372 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:36.480 were talking about earlier with with Dan. Well, you know, 373 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:39.200 maybe now it's a little more difficult for you to 374 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:42.119 keep track of those things. But you can have a 375 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:46.000 special spot like a tray or a bowl that you 376 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:48.440 put those things in when you come in the house, 377 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:52.000 and you always put them there, and that way, whenever 378 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:54.839 you're looking for them, they're always there. So that's a 379 00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:55.440 little tip. 380 00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:58.920 Great well, Greg, Well, Larry appreciate you call. Send me 381 00:23:58.920 --> 00:24:01.519 that other item and we'll we'll see what we can do. Okay, well, 382 00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:04.960 thank you, doctor. You soon go to Steven Gambridge. Steve 383 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:08.440 next on nice side with doct Daniel Budson, Dan. 384 00:24:08.440 --> 00:24:13.119 Doctor Butson. I've noticed that people, especially I think people 385 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:16.319 in their forties or fifties, if they're talking with each other, 386 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:24.880 they are using their cell phones constantly if they need 387 00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:29.079 to recall something or to find out the name of 388 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:33.400 this or that. And I also know that most people 389 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:37.279 now are totally dependent on their GPS's. I mean, it 390 00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:40.160 seems to me if you don't use your faculty of recall, 391 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:43.920 you don't exercise it at all, but rely on the phone, 392 00:24:44.119 --> 00:24:49.240 and if you make no effort to use your sense 393 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:53.079 of direction, that both of these will atrophy. What is 394 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:53.680 your opinion? 395 00:24:55.160 --> 00:25:01.440 You are one hundred correct. And the is a study 396 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:06.480 that was done in the United Kingdom that provides support 397 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:12.759 for what you just said. They actually studied people who 398 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:17.160 were going to be taking the London Cab Drivers Test, 399 00:25:18.680 --> 00:25:22.440 which they call the Knowledge, which is the tremendous If 400 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:26.160 anyone's been to London, it's like a maze of little 401 00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:30.599