How to provide memory

Most of us can lose our train of thought midway through a sentence but when you're a stand-up comic, it can spell disaster - as comedian Billy Connolly knows. The 70-year-old Scot admitted last week he now suffers from worrying bouts of memory loss on stage and sometimes cannot ?remember his punch lines for gags.

1. Associate the memory with the environment

   So if, for example, a joke is learned in the presence of a particular smell, that same aroma may cue the memory for that joke.

2. Clench your fist

   Research suggests that balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly actually makes it easier to memorise phone numbers or shopping lists. "Later, when you want to retrieve the information, clench the left fist. Researchers think the movements activate brain regions key to the storing and recall of memories.

3. Learn something before bed

   "The best way to 'consolidate a memory' is to go through the information just before going to sleep," explains Dr Johnson. "This is because there are fewer 'new' interfering memories so you will remember it better the next day.

4. Drink more milk

   Scientists asked 972 people to fill in detailed surveys on their diets and to complete eight rigorous tests to check their concentration, memory and learning abilities.