Super Agers = Super Memory

Memory is a big aspect of our lives. Our memory literally contains all the experiences that we have done in our lives. It plays a very crucial role in big and small events. Just think about how you would feel if you forget the most important moment of your life or just forgetting about what you have read or done in the past few minutes. We all know or think the ability to remember things decreases as we get old but this is not true. There have been many studies that proved the level or capacity to remember things is about the same in young and old adults.

In a recent study done by Tamar Gefen analyses if the level episodic memory function in SuperAgers (80+ -years old Individuals) is better than or equal to individuals younger than them (in middle ages). Grefen and her team investigated the features of cingulate cortex in SuperAgers and the young adults. After doing a MRI in the regions of interest the researchers found that the anterior cingulate cortex in the right hemisphere was thicker in SuperAger than in younger 50-60-year-old adults. The SuperAgers also showed a low frequency of Alzheimer-type neurofibrillary tangles and also had a higher density of von Economo neurons. Based on the results Grefen and her colleagues came to a conclusion that SuperAgers had high memory capacity than middle aged individuals.

            There was another study that was conducted regarding the memory of older adults.  In the article “Memory loss among the elderly is lower than what was originally thought” argues that the memory in older adults is not as different as young adults. They did an experiment on both young and old adults. In this experiment both groups were put in a certain setting, after a year both groups were asked the details of the setting. It was concluded that both groups had the same general memory of the event. The only difference was that the young aged people remembered the details of the event while the older didn’t. It was also concluded that the both groups remembered the specific details of the events that related to their personal life.

            Both articles argue about the capacity of remembering the facts or details in older adults versus young. They both concluded that older adults have the same in fact a little better memory as young adults. Grefen focused on the cingulate cortex of the brain and concluded that older adults have a thicker layer of cingulate cortex than younger. They also have higher density of von Economo neurons than the younger adults. This proved that the older adults had a higher memory capacity. While the second article also argued that the older adults have the same memory capacity by asking both groups to recall the event that they were put in. This experiment also concluded that the memory levels in older and younger adults are about the same. The older adults were able to remember the same exact facts as the younger adults.

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150605081613.htm

Image from: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/07/07/aging-stereotypes-can-actually-hamper-memory-in-older-adults/56894.html