Internet Closed for the Holidays?

I heard a story the other day about a coworker who had a cognitive lapse during a holiday and apparently confused the US Postal Service and Email and exclaimed, 'Do you think the Internet is closed on holidays, will my email be delivered?' Is this ignorance or a momentary lapse of reason? -Either way it was too funny not to post.

Has anyone ever forgotten that they were just told a story and proceeded to tell the same story to the same individual believing for a second that they heard the story from someone else? Perhaps, impairment from substances?

When I was 8 years old and my brother 5, we were part of a neighborhood carpool and one afternoon the women driving us home pulled into her garage, shut the garage door and went into the house. For what seemed like 15 minutes my brother and I sat there talking and wondering if we should open the garage or go in the house before she came leaping out and apologized for forgetting about taking us home. Too many things on her mind?

I know someone who needs to keep a log of movies that she has rented as she has started many movies only to find out a third of the way through that she rented the same movie in the past. Just plain forgetful?

My great-grandmother used to read Harlequin Romance Novels and traded books with people but didn't care which ones she got as they were all "new" to her. Forgiven, she was in her nineties.

And my confession and perhaps the reason for writing this post: The other day while driving with a client I stopped at a stop sign and waited for a few minutes for the light to change red! I looked at my client and proceeded to talk and he looked at me quizzically and I looked at the stop sign and back at him and then the moment of eureka occurred, the neurons finally fired and of course, I understood my little slip of cognition. Embarrassing perhaps, but if only I knew what was to come.

Anyone over the age of 30 has experienced some sort of mental lapse from time to time and usually it provides amusing antidotes as long as no one gets hurt and as long as we continue to laugh at ourselves and enjoy the fallibility of being human. However, knowing that our mental faculties decline with age it seems worth looking into preserving our cognitive abilities for as long as we can. We've all heard about taking up a second language, doing daily crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and other brain teasers, writing with opposite hand, etc. But what about smart drugs? At this time, are there viable smart drugs that can help slow down mental decline?

Here is a list of current smart drugs or nootropics copied from Wikipedia:

* 5-HTP
* Adrafinil (Olmifon)
* Aniracetam
* Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
* Bacopa monnieri (Brahmi)
* Caffeine
* Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR)
* Centrophenoxine
* Choline
* Cholinergics
* Chromium
* Coenzyme q-10
* Creatine
* DMAE
* Ergoloid mesylates (Hydergine)
* Huperzine A
* Idebenone
* Inositol
* L-dopa
* Lecithin
* Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)
* Lipoic acid
* Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
* Modafinil (Provigil)
* Nicotine
* Oxiracetam
* Phenibut
* Phenylalanine
* Piracetam (Nootropil)
* Pramiracetam
* Pyritinol (Enerbol)
* Rhodiola Rosea
* Selegiline (Deprenyl)
* Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
* St John's Wort
* Sutherlandia Frutescens
* Theanine
* Theophylline
* Tryptophan
* Tyrosine
* Vasopressin
* Vinpocetine
* Nicotinic acid (vitamin B3)
* Vitamin B5
* Vitamin B6
* Vitamin B12
* Vitamin C
* Yohimbe

The Internet has extensive information on smart drugs but not much in the way of testimonials other than on sites that are trying to sell their products. I am interested in real life experiences with anyone that has tried smart drugs (excluding caffeine and nicotine - I have first hand knowledge with those) or have known someone to try smart drugs and experienced results, side-effects or found that they are a waste of time and money. Maybe you have used smart drugs to study for an exam or write a thesis or to keep from forgetting where you put your car keys?

I suppose we have only scratched the surface of the possibilities of cognitively enhancing our gray matter but perhaps some of the items listed above are worth talking about.

And please share a lapse in cognitive functioning story if you have one.

Fun Quiz - Are you a forgetful person?