Can't Remember What I Forgot: The Good News from the Front Lines of Memory Research.(Brief article)(Book review)

Can't Remember What I Forgot: The Good News from the Front Lines of Memory Research SUE HALPERN. Harmony, $24 (272p) ISBN 978-0-307-40674-3

Novelist and science writer Halpern (Four Wings and a Prayer) wades bravely into the morass of modern memory research to sort the truth from a wide assortment of "hyperbole and promises and platitudes." The news is mixed: most of us won't develop Alzheimer's, but everyone will suffer some memory loss. After describing the different types of memory, Halpern gamely undertakes a series of brain scans used to reveal brain damage and tries diagnostic tests that measure memory through the ability to recall …