Question: why is it that we tend to lose or memory as we age

Emily Robinson answered on 20 Jun 2011:

Hi Caroline,

This question stumped me at first as it was something I had never really thought about. I suppose I just knew that memory does seem to get worse when we are older, but I’d never stopped to ask why. So I am really glad you asked this question as I have now learnt something too. As I had to look it up I have copy&pasted the answer from a website below. Sorry it isn’t a more personal answer.

* The hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in the formation and retrieval of memories, often deteriorates with age.

* Growth factors—hormones and proteins that protect and repair brain cells and stimulate neural growth—decline with age.

* Older people often experience decreased blood flow to the brain, which can impair memory and lead to changes in cognitive skills.

* Older people are less efficient at absorbing brain-enhancing nutrients.

These facts are stating why normal aging affects memory but this is very different from memory loss from alzheimer’s disease where patients show more dramatic memory loss, for example they are not able to do simple well known tasks anymore and get disorientated in familiar surroundings. Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease where plaques and tangles appear in the brain and this over time leads to large brain cell loss, especially in the hippocampus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:COMPARISONSLICE_HIGH.JPG

I hope this answers your question. Is someone you know suffering from memory loss problems? As I know it can be very difficult. Someone in my family has suffered with Alzheimer’s disease.