I read an article about the star of the classic 80’s teen movie trilogy written by John Hughes:

Sixteen Candles

The Breakfast Club &

Pretty in Pink

She kept her wardrobe from Pretty in Pink: all the funky unique vintage finds, except the iconic Pepto Bismol shade prom dress that she actually hated. And she mentioned troubling representation in the films (misogyny, homophobia, Long Duk Dong 🤦🏻‍♀️).

Bee stung lips, freckles, chin length puffy red bob…I’m not mentioning the star because I can’t remember her name, and I refuse to google her because oh my damn she’s imprinted deep in my hippocampus, I’m determined to retrieve it no matter how long it takes.

Are you stubborn like me or are you a googler?

Memory is complicated, and forgetting names or facts or where you put your keys is one of the first things we blame on “senior moments”.

Sadly it’s an automatic reaction. As Ashton Applewhite says in her brilliant Ted Talk Let’s End Ageism, when she lost her keys in high school, she wasn’t having a “junior moment”.

Her character’s name in Pretty in Pink is Andie, so when I use my super memory power to remember her name, I see Andie MacDowell pursued by Emilio Estevez in St. Elmo’s Fire.

Occasionally we forget why we entered a room, or have to look for our car by roaming around the parking lot, arm stretched out pushing the unlock button repeatedly on the key.

Once I drove to pick up a pizza, parallel parked near the restaurant, came back to my car and discovered I was blocking the driveway of an 8 car apartment parking lot.

I was stunned. It was so off-base and not normal. Was I distracted? Should I be concerned? How do you know if absentmindedness, forgetfulness or memory issues are serious?

Remembering ALL her co-stars 😖…

Andrew McCarthy

Jon Cryer

James Spader

Annie Potts

Harry Dean Stanton

Ally Sheedy

Judd Nelson

Emilio Estevez

Michael Anthony? Anthony Michael? Last name maybe Hall?

There are 7 types of normal forgetfulness that are common at any age. Right now I’m experiencing “blocking”; when you can’t remember something on the tip of your tongue like her effing name. It happens when a competing memory (Andie MacDowell?) blocks the one you are trying to retrieve.

And the pizza pick up parking was due to absentmindedness. I haven’t parked in a stranger’s driveway since (that I know of 😅) so I don’t worry about it.

But some normal cognitive change does occur with age. As we get older, decline in the hippocampus, brain cells and blood flow to the brain can affect memory. Learning new things will become harder, multitasking more difficult, and recollection may be slow to appear.

I haven’t done much for my brain health except for loading up on crossword puzzles and Sudoku because the news said they could stave off Alzheimer’s disease. And I used to play the brain building game app Luminosity even though I got anxiety from hearing the beeps and boops, and ticks and tocks as I ran out of time.

Back to the A word; Alzheimer’s disease spurs terror more than other afflictions because it’s incurable and incites a devastating decline as slow as stale honey dripping from a spoon.

Feared because it’s a hellhole of a disease (I’ve seen it up close and I can attest), and because the population is getting older, rates are rising because age is the top risk for dementia. (Dementia is a syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia.)

Beyond some normal cognitive decline, there are stages that are not part of normal aging: mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and several stages of dementia ranging from mild to severe.

MCI is when memory or judgement “slips” enough that you can become confused, but you can still manage daily functions and regular life. Those with MCI have an increased risk of developing dementia. Studies show that 10%-20% of adults 65 and over have MCI.

When memory loss interferes with daily living or puts someone in danger, that’s a big concern and shouldn’t be ignored. Serious memory loss and confusion can be signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Here are the differences from The National Institute on Aging

Alzheimer’s Disease

• Making poor judgments and decisions a lot of the time.
• Problems taking care of monthly bills.
• Losing track of the date or time of the year.
• Trouble having a conversation.
• Misplacing things often and being unable to find them.

Source: National Institute on Aging

You may have heard that AD is caused by plaques and tangles in the brain, but researchers don’t know for sure. Genetics, inflammation, lifestyle and environment are believed to play a role.

There is no evidence that Alzheimer’s can be prevented, but contrary to old research, the adult brain is malleable, and there are lifestyle habits you can do that might delay, or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Dale E. Bredesen, an expert in neurodegenerative diseases and author of the book The End of Alzheimer’s, has worked with 100 patients who showed AD improvement by changing their lifestyle habits to address imbalances in the brain. He’s made the very bold claim that with his protocol, AD should become a rare disease. Dr. Bredesen has his critics, but I’m gonna side with his optimism that we can prevent AD.

Ducky loved Andie, but Andie loved Blane, and in the original Pretty in Pink ending Ducky gets the girl, but test audiences said screw that, we want Blane! So they had to reshoot the prom scene, but Andrew McCarthy had shaved his head for a play so he wore a bad wig. Re-watch it and I think you’ll agree his hair is too dark, has odd flippy waves, and is flat as a vinyl record.

A study funded by The National Institute on Aging showed an association with healthy lifestyle behaviors and a lower risk of AD.

The holistic protocol pretty much mirrors common recommendations for healthy living: keep your brain active and nourished with optimal function. Here’s how…

Exercise with some intensity 120-150 minutes a week. Dr. John Randoph writes in The Brain Health Book “the more fit and physically active you are, the better your brain will work, and the more robust your processing speed, memory, and other cognitive skills will likely be.”

Eat a diet that’s associated with bigger brain volume and cognitive health. The World Health Organization recommends a Mediterranean type diet which is plant based, with healthy fats, moderate alcohol and little meat. A hybrid Medi diet, the MIND diet, has also been associated with slower cognitive decline.

Don’t drink too much- excessive drinking is a significant risk factor. In a JAMA study, heavy drinkers had a 22% higher risk of Alzheimer’s than non-drinkers. There’s even a dementia called alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) where excessive alcohol blocks neurons from regenerating so they die.

Stay mentally active- lifelong learning, and stimulating activities like reading, puzzles, learning another language and playing an instrument are positive for brain health because they keep memory, problem solving, and attention sharp.

Don’t smoke because of the link to decreased brain size. 14% of Alzheimer’s cases worldwide may be attributed to smoking.

Dolly Madison? Good Golly Miss Molly? Molly Shannon?

Other brain boosting recommendations I found that are not in the study:

Destress- stress can affect the hippocampus and frontal lobes which are key areas for memory and executive function. Meditation is an effective way to decrease anxiety and encourage the growth of new neurons.

Prioritize good quality sleep- when you sleep, your brain cleans out toxins that build up through the day.

Socialize because loneliness is a risk factor for depression and dementia.

Another discovery…

In 1986 Dr. David Snowdon, an expert on Alzheimers, began a longitudinal study of 678 nuns ranging in age from 75 – 106, to examine how lifestyle and cognition affected brain disease.

Known as The Nun Study, the nuns agreed to cognitive tests, medical exams, and some even donated their brains after death for further study.

The research was unique because variables were naturally minimized; the nuns lived in a supportive community, were never married or had children, ate a lot of the same food, and socialized regularly.

Autopsies of the brains showed that many of the sisters who were cognitively fit, actually had advanced Alzheimer’s disease markers.

The Nun Study and other research suggest that the brain is able to function even with damage like tangles and plaques because of cognitive reserves.

Cognitive reserve is the theory that certain life experiences can create extra protection for the brain, so if it becomes damaged, there is a backup reserve that works around the damage, like taking a detour when the traffic sucks.

The factors that seem to build cognitive reserve are mental stimulation like education (especially in early adulthood), a mentally demanding job (including managing others), and linguistic ability. Other studies include high levels of social interaction.

Cognitive decline starts years and even decades before symptoms appear so it may feel like your destiny is already in the cards, but Dr. Randolph writes that it’s a big misconception to think that “our lifestyle activities in midlife don’t have much of an impact on our memory and other thinking skills later in life.”

MOLLY…RINGWALD…!!!

Dammit, I’ll never forget her name again. There was no trigger that made me remember. It took 3 hours and then her name just floated into my mysterious, complicated, sensitive, controlling and hopefully reserve-filled, well-rested, big brain 🤞.