Report: Does age affect our memory?
by Chris Kim
I believe most people have had doubts about the relationship between age and memory at least once. Even though we cannot be completely sure about this, many believe that our memories are mostly affected by age. As people get older, they forget new things more easily than events from their past. You might hear that your grandparents or parents forgot something suddenly, even though they knew it a few minutes or seconds ago. For instance, they might momentarily forget a phone number or a person’s name. Now, that old people can forget things easier than younger do, people believe once we start forgetting things, it is a signal that our memories are declining. However, forgetting things that we knew or learned also happens to teenagers, who in theory have a better capacity to memorize things. For instance, you may have experienced forgetting things that you attempted to memorize last night or before a test. Many students forget information during the test, although they memorized them and believed they memorized them completely. In theory, and many adults would agree, children should not forget things, since they are young. However, since forgetting things happens to everybody, all around the world, perhaps this theory is not correct.
As we all know, when we get older, the capacity of our brain starts to
shrink. Once we reach a certain age, the cells in our brain start to die, which
is why we confuse information and lose track of things. We lose approximately
20 percent of our nerve cells when we reach age 80. According to a recent study
conducted at Johns Hopkins University, as we get older, the pathway leading to
where our memories are stored deteriorates. That region in our brain is called
the hippocampus. Since it is the place where memories are stored, it makes
sense that our brain has more difficulty processing information over time.
As I have demonstrated above, our brain is mostly affected by our age. However, there is also good news. While some specific abilities decline with age, overall memory remains strong for most people through their 70s. In fact, researchers show that the average 70 year-old man performs as well on certain cognitive tests as many 20 year-olds do. Furthermore, many 60 and 70 year-olds perform even better than younger people do. Evidence from animal studies suggest that stimulating the brain can stop cells from shrinking, it can even increase brain size. Studies found animals given lots of mental exercise had more dendrites, which allows their cells to more effectively communicate with each other.
As I have demonstrated above, our brain is mostly affected by our age. However, there is also good news. While some specific abilities decline with age, overall memory remains strong for most people through their 70s. In fact, researchers show that the average 70 year-old man performs as well on certain cognitive tests as many 20 year-olds do. Furthermore, many 60 and 70 year-olds perform even better than younger people do. Evidence from animal studies suggest that stimulating the brain can stop cells from shrinking, it can even increase brain size. Studies found animals given lots of mental exercise had more dendrites, which allows their cells to more effectively communicate with each other.
Thus, as we get older, we may not memorize things as well as we did when we were young, but we will likely learn and remember nearly as much. Thereby concluding that age and memory are not as inversely related as we may think. In many cases, an older person`s brain maybe less effective not because of a structural or organic problems, but as a result of lack of use. Therefore, the key to a healthy brain throughout life is cognitive simulation.
Bibliography
Websites:
- "What happens to our memory as we age?" http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/happens-our-memory-age (April, 13rd, 2014)
- "Science Explains why your memory gets worse as you get older.", Alan Henry, http://lifehacker.com/5804327/science-explains-why-your-memory-gets-worse-as-you-get-older (April, 12nd, 2014)
- "How human memory works", Richard C, http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory4.htm (April, 14th, 2014)
Pictures:
- "Fascination happens deep within the brain", Team Fascinate, ( September, 30th, 2013) http://www.howtofascinate.com/blog/bid/187873/Fascination-Happens-Deep-Within-The-Brain (April, 14th, 2014)
- http://www.mymarketmonitor.com/main/how-to-cheat-your-id-age/ (April, 14th, 2014)