Aaron Nelson

The Neuropsychology of Memory: What Every Clinician Needs to Know
August 11-15

Our ability to remember is an amazing feat - a miracle - which most of us take for granted. The process of converting perception to representation to recollection invokes the participation of multiple brain regions and neural networks working in exquisite collaboration. The plasticity of these component processes, as well as the associated neuroanatomy, is what gives our memories their ever-changing quality.

Although memory loss is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disease, not all memory failure is abnormal. Where is the boundary between normal age-related change and incipient disease? Can we improve on normal memory? What are the ethical challenges posed by cognitive enhancers? We have made great strides in our understanding of how memory and the brain change over the life span, yet there is so much we still don't know.

Monday
What is memory? • How are memories formed? • Multiple memory systems • Short-term memory and long-term memory • Working memory • Declarative memory • Episodic memory • Semantic memory • Procedural memory • Memory consolidation • A short primer on the brain's memory anatomy

Tuesday
Normal memory lapses and distortions • Schacter's Seven Sins • The Rashomon Effect • What do patients actually complain of? • How your brain ages • The cycle of neuronal death and neurogenesis • Neuronal communication problems • Is there anything "normal" about aging? • Which cognitive functions are most vulnerable to aging? • Which cognitive functions are age resistant? • Plasticity

Wednesday
Memory Disorders • Amnesia • Mild cognitive impairment • Dementia • Causes of memory problems • Genes • Hormones • Common age-related illnesses • Neurological disorders • Cancer • Mood disorders and stress • Medications • Sleep Problems • Diet and nutrition • Alcohol and drugs • Smoking • Toxic exposure

Thursday
Evaluation of memory disorders • Structural and functional brain imaging • Neuropsychological testing • Other specialized tests • Treatment of memory disorders • Memory medications • Drugs for Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and other dementias • Alternative remedies for memory loss • New drugs under study • Cognitive enhancers • Non-pharmacological approaches to treating memory disorders

Friday
Prevention and proaction: the path to optimal memory • Practical strategies to enhance everyday memory • Behaviors for effective learning and memory • Memory techniques • On the horizon: Preventing and curing memory disorders

Aaron Nelson Ph.D., is co-founder of the Brigham Behavioral Neurology Group, now the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Nelson received his undergraduate education at Rutgers College and earned his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Nelson is board certified in clinical neuropsychology (ABPP/ABCN) and is chief of neuropsychology at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and founded the Harvard Partners Consortium in Neuropsychology in 1999. He is on the medical advisory board of The Brain Tumor Society and serves as the neuropsychology consultant to the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He has authored scholarly papers, written book chapters, and lectured for numerous courses and rounds. He has served as a reviewer for Neuropsychology and Journal Watch Neurology published by the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Nelson recently authored a book entitled The Harvard Medical School Guide to Achieving Optimal Memory, published by McGraw Hill.

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