Memory

Are different parts of the brain involved in different types of memory?

It appears that this is true. Short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory all differ somewhat from each other, although there is some debate and perhaps some overlap. Different types of memory do appear to involve different parts of the brain. Each type appears to engage different neural subsystems within the prefrontal cortex, the parietal lobes, the hippocampus, and the synapses or spaces between the neurons. Exposure to chronic stress can lead to profound memory deficits along with atrophy of the dendrites that fan out around the cell body and that pull information into the cells. 

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Oniomania & Serotonin

Compulsive shoppers have been shown to be deficient in serotonin, a brain substance that impacts mood. Kellet and Bolton have described compulsive buying as the experience of having an irresistible–uncontrollable urge that results in excessive, expensive, and time-consuming retail activity. Typically, it is prompted by a negative affect and the shopping and buying is an attempt to raise one’s mood. Some have called it ‘retail therapy.’ If no compulsivity is involved it may be a mood lifter. But like the use of opioids, it can be either a therapy or an addiction, depending on whether it is adaptive or maladaptive. Unfortunately, oniomania can results in gross and often overwhelming social, personal, and/or financial difficulties.

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Oniomania

My daughter told me she has just been diagnosed with oniomania. What in the world is that? She was rather vague.

Oniomania is a medical term for an addictive, obsessive disorder that involves a need to buy things. Another name for oniomania is compulsive buying. It is a disorder that has begun to receive more attention from researchers in recent years. Estimates are that this disorder affects up to 8% of the general adult population in the US. About 90% of those affected are female. Onset occurs in the late teens or early twenties, and the disorder is generally chronic. There is window shopping and there is compulsive shopping where the individual purchases something due to a compulsion to “buy something” whether or not the person needs the item. Comorbidity is frequent, particularly mood, anxiety, substance use, eating and personality disorders. Treatment may involve individual and group psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy and 12-step programs. 

Nomophobia Symptoms

Nomophobia, the fear of being out of cell-phone contact, may be becoming the new ‘normal’ (meaning commonly occurring and not necessarily healthy or desirable). An article by Carol W. Berman MD ‘One Patient’s story’ published in Scientific American MIND Dr. Carol W. Berman wrote: “For clinicians like me, the true test of whether mental illness is present is the degree to which the individual’s daily life is impaired.” The signs and symptoms seen in nomophobia cases include anxiety, respiratory alterations, trembling, perspiration, agitation, disorientation,  depression, panic, fear, dependence, rejection, low self-esteem, loneliness, and tachycardia or heart palpitations..

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Brain & Nomophobia

Nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) involves a fear of being out of cell-phone contact. The term came from a study by the United Kingdom Post Office in 2008. The objective was to evaluate the possibility of anxiety disorders occurring because of the overuse of mobile phones. The study reported that approximately 58% of males and 47% of females suffered from mobile phone anxiety when their mobile phones were switched off. A comparison of stress levels reported that the anxiety level was equal to “wedding day jitters.” Some believe that the term “phobia” may be misleading. In actuality, nomophobia appears to be an anxiety disorder, anxiety being a type of fear. It has been called an “over-connection syndrome,” perhaps due to the fact that an excessive use of mobile phones itself reduces the percentage of actual face-to-face interactions. For some, nomophobia may escalate into an obsession.  Reportedly, differentiating between nomophobia and OCD can be difficult. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD is believed to involve a dysregulation of the neurotransmitter serotonin, different from an anxiety disorder related to overuse of mobile phones.

Heavy Mobile Phone/Computer Use

 Technology provides many benefits to individuals and society, but it is not without its down side. Sara Thomée, doctoral student, and colleagues at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy conducted four studies to evaluate the effects of heavy computer and cell phone by young adults on sleep quality, stress levels, and general mental health. The studies found that those who make particularly heavy use of mobile phones and computers run a greater risk of sleep disturbances, stress, and symptoms of mental health. 

·       Frequent computer use without breaks was found to increase the risk of stress, sleeping problems, and depressive symptoms in women

·       Males who use mobile phones / computers extensively without breaks were more likely to develop sleeping problems.

·       Regularly using a computer late at night was associated not only with sleep disorders but also with stress and depressive symptoms in both men and women

Adequate sleep is related to cognitive performance and is independently linked with longevity. The artificial light from TV and computer screens and smart phones affects melatonin production and throws off circadian rhythms, preventing deep, restorative sleep. 

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Optimism and Cognition, 2

Studies on adults ages sixty-five and older have provided some scientific endorsement of cognitive benefits associated with optimism. A national survey by the US National Institute of Aging linked an optimistic mindset about the future with better problem-solving abilities and fewer memory problems. Optimism is also associated with individuals taking better care of themselves, as well as a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes. Other studies have shown that gratitude is an antidote to fear, and fear can trigger downshifting of the brain and less ready access to some of the complex executive functions of the brain. According to Deepak Chopra, by adopting gratitude as your default position, you tell your brain that positive input far outweighs negative input. Therefore, if you want to hang onto your memory and other cognitive abilities, optimism and gratitude may be invaluable strategies. Due to the brain’s penchant for congruence, more optimism and gratitude tend to lead to higher levels of optimism and gratitude.

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