Word of the Day

I came across an unfamiliar word today in a book I was reading so I looked it up. One of the meanings (B) doesn't seem to be totally accurate in my situation, to what I experience. When I'm talking and the "right word" won't come in the statement I'm making, I become determined to use exactly THAT word - the one I can't remember. Later on the word comes to me. It always does. Do you believe that I have neurological impairment or is it just "old age?" This happens quite often! I have lethological moments!

Here are a few of my research results:

M. H. Forsyth writes,
"There is, dear reader, a precise word for not being able to remember the precise word: lethologica. This was sometime a paradox, but next time you misplace the mot juste, comfort yourself with the fact that you are simply having a lethological moment. 

  Lethologica was invented by Carl Jung and is simply a combination of lethe - forgetfulness - and logica- wordy. In Greek mythology there was a river of forgetfulness in the underworld called Lethe. When you bathed in Lethe you forgot everything and were washed in sweet oblivion."

A.  LETHOLOGICA: The inability to remember a word or put your finger on the right word.

B.  Lethologica is a condition in which someone cannot remember words, key phrases, and names. This results in an inability to express or articulate thoughts, which can be extremely frustrating for the patient. This condition is believed to be psychological in origin, although there is some evidence that there is a neurological component as well. There are no treatments, although some patients can develop coping skills which help them manage their memory loss.

The key feature of lethologica is that it is temporary. The patient has not forgotten the information forever, experiencing instead momentary forgetting and confusion which make it hard to speak or convey key information. The duration of the temporary memory loss can vary, depending on the patient and the setting. Bouts of lethologica seem to be brought on by stress, including stress from being in a tense social situation, as well as intense physical exercise.

Some people may experience secondary symptoms in addition to lethologica. As they try to remember the thing that they cannot bring to mind, they may smack their lips or make other movements with the mouth. Likewise, some patients experience trouble swallowing. Different triggers can lead to a spell of forgetfulness, depending on the patient.

The temporal lobe is the area of the brain which appears to be involved in lethologica. Responding to stress is a psychological aspect; responding to exercise, however, is physiological, suggesting that multiple systems may be at play. Some patients also experience neurological impairment, as for example in the cranial nerves.