The Neurobiology of Memory and Aging Essay -- Science Scientific Essay

The Neurobiology of Memory and Aging "I lost my keys again," my mother exclaimed at dinner a few nights ago, "I really am getting old." This use of old age as a justification for memory deficits is extremely common. Many people relate old age with loss of memory and other neurobiological functions. Why is it that aging seems to go hand in hand with losing and forgetting things? Is there a neurobiological explanation for this phenomenon? It is clear to neurobiologists that aging results in a decrease in brain size as well as a decrease in the efficiency of brain functions. It has been a widely held belief that aging causes neurons to die and for the overall number of neurons to decrease as one reaches old age. Studies conducted by Dr. David Merrill refute this idea, sighting a lack of neuronal loss in the entohinal cortex after running an MRI on a healthy subject. Instead, Merill indicates that loss of neurons may occur in degenerative disorders, such as Alzheimers, but not in healthy brains. However, it remains true that some aspects of cognition do decline as age increases, such as short term and long term memory. Since these effects are not caused by a decrease in the number of neurons present, there must be another neurobiological explanation. In order to understand memory loss it is necessary to understand how memory works in a normal brain without any cognitive deficits. Memory can be separated into three distinct parts: working memory, declarative memory, and procedural memory (1). Working memory is the most short term, and it involves repeating something that someone has just said in conversation or remembering something you had just seen briefly. This part of memory does not ever become fully sto... ...mplex.. http://psych.wisc.edu/postlab/Psych733/Nadel_Moscovitch.1997.pdf 4)Nadel and Moscovitch. "Memory Consolidation, Retrograde Amnesia and the Hippocampal Complex.. http://psych.wisc.edu/postlab/Psych733/Nadel_Moscovitch.1997.pdf 5) The Symptoms of Alzheimer's. . http://www.diseases-explained.com/Alzheimers/symptomsalzheime.html 6) Greenwood. . http://sln.fi.edu/brain/nutrition/carbohydrates/brainpower.html 7) Alzheimer's Secondary Victims. . http://sites.unc.edu/error.html 8)Alipoprotein E. . http://home.mira.net/~dhs/apoe.html 9) Determining the Cause of Memory Loss in the Elderly . http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1999/10_15_99/welsh.htm 10)Stress tied to Memory Loss . http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/04221998/grapha.htm 11)University of Kuopio, Series Reports, Department of Neurology . http://www.uku.fi/neuro/39abs.htm The Neurobiology of Memory and Aging Essay -- Science Scientific Essay The Neurobiology of Memory and Aging "I lost my keys again," my mother exclaimed at dinner a few nights ago, "I really am getting old." This use of old age as a justification for memory deficits is extremely common. Many people relate old age with loss of memory and other neurobiological functions. Why is it that aging seems to go hand in hand with losing and forgetting things? Is there a neurobiological explanation for this phenomenon? It is clear to neurobiologists that aging results in a decrease in brain size as well as a decrease in the efficiency of brain functions. It has been a widely held belief that aging causes neurons to die and for the overall number of neurons to decrease as one reaches old age. Studies conducted by Dr. David Merrill refute this idea, sighting a lack of neuronal loss in the entohinal cortex after running an MRI on a healthy subject. Instead, Merill indicates that loss of neurons may occur in degenerative disorders, such as Alzheimers, but not in healthy brains. However, it remains true that some aspects of cognition do decline as age increases, such as short term and long term memory. Since these effects are not caused by a decrease in the number of neurons present, there must be another neurobiological explanation. In order to understand memory loss it is necessary to understand how memory works in a normal brain without any cognitive deficits. Memory can be separated into three distinct parts: working memory, declarative memory, and procedural memory (1). Working memory is the most short term, and it involves repeating something that someone has just said in conversation or remembering something you had just seen briefly. This part of memory does not ever become fully sto... ...mplex.. http://psych.wisc.edu/postlab/Psych733/Nadel_Moscovitch.1997.pdf 4)Nadel and Moscovitch. "Memory Consolidation, Retrograde Amnesia and the Hippocampal Complex.. http://psych.wisc.edu/postlab/Psych733/Nadel_Moscovitch.1997.pdf 5) The Symptoms of Alzheimer's. . http://www.diseases-explained.com/Alzheimers/symptomsalzheime.html 6) Greenwood. . http://sln.fi.edu/brain/nutrition/carbohydrates/brainpower.html 7) Alzheimer's Secondary Victims. . http://sites.unc.edu/error.html 8)Alipoprotein E. . http://home.mira.net/~dhs/apoe.html 9) Determining the Cause of Memory Loss in the Elderly . http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1999/10_15_99/welsh.htm 10)Stress tied to Memory Loss . http://www.academicpress.com/inscight/04221998/grapha.htm 11)University of Kuopio, Series Reports, Department of Neurology . http://www.uku.fi/neuro/39abs.htm