Our memory—the ability to store, retain, and recollect information and experiences—is one of the fundamental characteristics that make us who we are. It's little wonder that quirks of memory have been the subject of literary novels like Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, and that popular movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Regarding Henry, and Still Alice explore its loss.

Problems with memory can affect any of us when we are deprived of sleep, distracted, depressed, ill, or taking certain medications. They may also present as the first symptom of dementia and Alzheimer's disease and can affect people with Parkinson's disease, stroke, epilepsy, head trauma, and other neurologic conditions.

Over the years, I have seen countless patients who have lost their memory at much too young an age and others who were exceptional for their recall abilities despite advancing age. I recently met a patient in her nineties with an extraordinary memory, who had signed up for nursing school in her fifties and spent the next three decades thriving in a career as a delivery room nurse. She credits her brain health to regular daily activities like caring for her chickens, tending to her garden, and cooking healthy meals. I also credit it to her resilience and determination, two admirable traits that we find in so many profiles in our magazine. She reminded me of my mother's best friend, Doris, who at 91 is still active and working, and on special occasions finds time to bake the best apple pie in the Northeast.

Most of us have vivid memories of important or traumatic days in our lives. I remember the days my sons were born, and what I was doing on September 11, 2001, and when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. But every day is like that for actress Marilu Henner, who is the subject of our cover story. She has a highly superior autobiographical memory, a rare condition that has been identified in only 100 people in the world. Henner works with the Alzheimer's Association and UsAgainstAlzheimer's to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease and to advocate for more funding for brain research. She told us, "Your memory is your story, it's your life, it's everything."

At Brain & Life, we celebrate such advocacy and try to bring you regular information on dementia. In this issue, we include a story in our Healthy Living section on how improvisational theater helps engage people with the condition. We also remind readers about our upcoming Brain Health Fair in Philadelphia (please join us, my fellow Pennsylvanians!), as well as information on restorative yoga, how palliative care differs from hospice care, and a profile of Beverly Ribaudo, who uses humor to manage Parkinson's disease.

Since so many of you have written to ask that we write about essential tremor, we do just that in "Strategies and Therapies for Combatting Essential Tremor". And in our Take Charge department, we provide tips for dealing with loss of dexterity, a symptom associated with many conditions, including tremor.

If you want to read even more, please explore BrainandLife.org for online exclusives about everything from using walking sticks to dealing with swallowing problems, many of them written by our rapidly growing stable of patient bloggers. These blogs are some of my favorite things to read since they offer insights from people like my patients and readers like you.

If you have a knack for writing, email us at BrainandLife@wolterskluwer.com to let us know your interest. You can also tell us how we're doing and what else you'd like to read about. Or send a letter to Brain & Life, 333 Seventh Ave., 19th Floor, New York, NY 10001.

Wishing you many happy memories and much good health.

Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN, Editor-in-Chief