I’ve developed a problem very recently that is causing me lots of trouble. I cannot retrieve words I know well, although I can tell you the first letter of the word, and synonyms of the word. I know there is a specific word I’m looking for. The same goes for names of people and things.
Some examples: I couldn’t remember the word “stencil” although I remembered the words “template”, “pattern”, etc. and I knew the word I was looking for started with an “S”. I ended up looking up the synonyms online to find the word I was looking for after many minutes of frustration. Another example, “Cooper Union” for a college in New York that offers free tuition. I knew it had an art school and that the name of the school started with a “C”.
I always know the first letter of the word or name I’m searching for. What’s going on here? I didn’t realize your brain files away words alphabetically and that you have an index stored! It’s like my index is working and the dictionary is there, but the retrieval system decided to take a break.
Am I going senile? (I am young middle age) Do I have a vitamin deficiency? Am I going to develop Alzheimer’s (it doesn’t run in the family)
The thing that disturbs me most is that this seems to have developed suddenly over the last year or two.
Sometimes I have problems remembering peoples names and/or names of places. But then, I am 81 years old, so I expect that to happen. But a person in their 40’s shouldn’t have problems remembering. Yes, go see a doctor.
I give you credit for recognizing the problem and asking about it. I think some of it is natural aging. You have never been this old before either. Some of those old names and words are old within your memory and perhaps not used often. I would expect them to be harder to recall. As others said, have it checked out if you feel it’s serious. Practice at some recall games for fun. Relax when something won’t come to mind. Wait for it to come as it usually does. Stress can lock the memory out temporarily. I believe a more serious symptom would be not remembering very current things. If you did not remember something from yesterday for example, that would be more serious.
Well I’ve had that happen–a lot, sometimes it seems like I’m acting out a charade for myself (“Sounds like…starts with…”), and it’s happened throughout my life, probably more frequently the older I got. I’m a writer and editor and sometimes I know there’s a perfect word, and just miss it. As an editor it’s a lot easier to see when someone else has done this.
It is something about accessing long-term memory. If you’re like me, you’ll get the word eventually. I wouldn’t panic, but I might mention it to my doctor at the next regular check-up.
Also, I got a reverse dictionary. Because sometimes I just don’t have time to sit there and stare out the window and wait for the word to come to me.
Happens to me all the time. I’m 19. I just call it a brain fart (or occasionally a “junior moment” to go along with my mom’s “senior moments”). If the neurologist is not concerned either a) s/he’s probably right and your noticing that this is happening more lately is just confirmation bias, b) if you’re unsatisfied with that answer get a new neurologist.
For me it’s always nouns. Never verbs. And it’s usually a common word.
“Dear, would you hand me a … ah, … er … ??? !!! Damn! You know, goes with a knife and a fork. Here, have a spoon. Yes dammit a spoon; I HATE it when that happens!”
It started about age 30. Everybody tells me it’s pretty normal. I do notice it’s a lot more likely to happen when I’m thinking about something unrelated to the task at hand. e.g. thinking about work while setting the dinner table.
So if you often find yourself preoccupied with other things, work to reduce that and you’ll probably get better.
Oh, I’m SO glad to hear from someone younger with this condition. I’ve been having this a lot lately, and my “real doctor” says he’s not concerned – that it’s normal aging.
But it’s so weeeeeeird! To be able to come up with the first letter. To be able to pull up a number of synonyms*. And it’s almost always a noun. Of medium complexity or usage. In other words, “cat” or “baby” wouldn’t elude me, but neither would “sabre-tooth tiger” or “amniotic fluid”. But “siamese” or “fetus” might.
It’s embarrassing, because I’m a teacher. And to be standing at the board and suddenly staring at the class in silence is NOT good theater. Luckily, once I accepted it, I stopped freezing up “onstage”. And learned to pull one of those cinnam–no, synonyms– out of my butt.
If you can do that fast enough, no one realizes that when you just said “And no knight in heavy armor is going to take a… chance on… a castle surrounded by water.”, you’d been racking your brain for the word “moat”.
But I’ve also admitted it to my students. So sometimes I’ll just laugh and say “Okay, I’m totally blanking out on the word-- y’know, the little tools that Ikea hands out by the millions… C’mon, somebody’s got to kn–ah, thanks, Jason, ALLEN wrenches! And next time I go to Ikea, I’m bringing Jason his very own. And a meatball.”
I was just doing some reading on aphasia recently. Obviously IANADoc, etc. etc. but it seemed to me that you were looking for something that describes your symptoms. Maybe it’s dysnomia?
It happens to me too on occasion, and I’m in my early thirties. More often than nouns I blank out on adjectives, and not ones I use every day but ones I should know the meanings of cold anyway. “You know, it’s like being dishonest, but more malicious than simply lying…”
I’m 65, and it happens to me all the time. I think it began around my early 50s. Like the OP, I can think of synonyms and often the first letter . . . and sometimes, with a short word, I can think of the number of letters.
It happens to me on occasion and I’m 34. Usually, I don’t even care about the answer itself but it drives me crazy not being able to come up with the word, so I force myself to keep searching for it until I do. I don’t know what I would do without the internet.
Also, I have synesthesia so I often don’t even recall the first letter of the word but rather the color. So sometimes I know that the first letter is colored red but I can’t decide whether it starts with C, G or S which makes my search even more difficult.
It also took me a few minutes to think of the word synesthesia just now.
I’m 35. This has happened occasionally to me most my life, and I’m pretty fascinated by the whole thing. It’s not always really well-known words this will happen with me, but sometimes I’ll forget names of bands, movies, books, etc., that I used to know well, but have since been swept into the attic of my brain. When I need to recall it, it’ll be similar to what you describe: I often remember the first letter, and various concepts associated with the information I’m looking for. This might be synonyms or related words or something of the like. If I don’t exactly remember the starting letter, I can often just go through the alphabet in my head and pick one or two likely candidates. I’ve always been curious as to how this information is stored–how the brain can remember the first letter of the word you’re looking for, but somehow lose the “pointer” to the rest of the information.
It is happening to me more and more - and my friends. I didn’t mean to downplay your concern. It started around 40, but now that I’m almost 60 it’s common. I can see the item in my head. I could give you a definition for it if asked. I just can’t retrieve the word. I remember it happening to my mom, and with the arrogance of youth would roll my eyes. Now I know. Somewhere she is laughing.
This seems to be a common experience! I am fascinated at the idea that the brain indexes words by first letter, because letters are an artificial construction…How would an illiterate person experience the same problem?
I feel much better now that y’all have come forward. Thanks
