Forgetting Whats Normal: Improving Memory Understanding Age Related Memory Loss
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Forgetting: What's normal?
It's normal to forget some things, and it's normal to become somewhat more forgetful as you age, but it's not normal to forget too much. The question is, how much is too much? Regardless of age, some people's memories are better than others — just as some people are better at math or athletics. How can you tell whether your memory lapses are within the scope of normal aging or are a symptom of something more serious?
Neuroscientists and physicians have not fully answered that question, but they have identified some key differences between normal memory lapses and those that occur with more serious cognitive deficits, such as dementia, a progressive deterioration of memory and other aspects of cognitive function.
Sleep and memory
 Why does sleep make a difference? One theory suggests that changes in brain activity during two phases of sleep — slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep — are important for memory consolidation. Research with rodents shows that during slow-wave sleep, the pattern of activity in the hippocampus is highly similar to the pattern that appeared earlier when the animals were engaged in learning something. This finding suggests that during slow-wave sleep, the hippocampus "replays" the recently acquired information to strengthen the neuronal patterns that were activated during the acquisition phase. This replaying of the learning scenario is the key component of the consolidation process. Research has also revealed that important changes take place in the brain during REM sleep, which is the time when dreaming occurs. In particular, there is increased activity in the cortex during dreams. Some scientists now think that dreaming is one of the ways in which the brain strengthens the neuronal pathways that encode memories. |
| Last updated: | January 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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