Lesson 7 memory decline and the healthy aging brain 2012

Lesson 7 - Memory

Decline and the Healthy Ageing

BrainFriday, 13 April 2012

From last Lesson........

What role does the hippocampus play in memory?

Friday, 13 April 2012

From last Lesson........

Research suggests that the hippocampus is critical to the formation and consolidation of memories, playing part in deciding if information received a by the senses is worth remembering, then organising memories before directing them to other sections of the brain.

What role does the hippocampus play in memory?


Outcomes (What you need to know and be able to do)• Explain how memory changes over a lifespan• Explain amnesia resulting from brain trauma and

neurodegenerative diseases including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

• Compare how memory declines over the lifespan with amnesia resulting from brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease


Amnesia – Loss of memory, partial or complete, temporary or permanent. Can be caused by either of:

Amnesia



Brain trauma – damage inflicted through injury interferes with functioningE.g. Brain injury, stroke, drug abuse etc

Amnesia


Neurodegenerative disease – decline in structure and function of neurons E.g. Alzheimer's disease


Brain trauma – damage inflicted through injury interferes with functioningE.g. Brain injury, stroke, drug abuse etc

Amnesia


Retrograde AmnesiaCant remember old informationEvents before the injury lostUsually temporary and caused by a blow to the headMemory of events immediately preceding the injury are permanently lost (interruption or consolidation)


Anterograge AmnesiaCan’t make new Long Term memories ofevents that occur after the injury – hippocampus damage commonCannot transfer information from STM to LTM

Retrograde AmnesiaCant remember old informationEvents before the injury lostUsually temporary and caused by a blow to the headMemory of events immediately preceding the injury are permanently lost (interruption or consolidation)


Anterograge Amnesia


Retrograde Amnesia


Large group of neurodegenerative diseases that cause a decline in mental functioning.

Dementia

Dementia develops progressively with loss of memory an initial onset symptom


• The most common form of dementia• Accounts for 50 – 70% of dementia• Neurodegenerative disease that causes wide spread cell

death• Causes decline in all aspects of cognitive function• Post-mortems reveal deposits of plaque along the

damaged synapses• These plaques and tangles effect neural transmission

Alzheimer’s Disease


• 100,000 Australians effected• 1 in 25 over 60• 1 in 8 over 80• No simple diagnostic test – really only know for sure

when post-mortem conducted• Symptoms are different for each person further

complicating diagnosis



Typical memory loss includes• Events• Words and names• Written and verbal directions• Stories, TV, Movies, Books• Semantic memory decline• Procedural memories

Personality changes can also occur..........

Alzheimer’s Disease - symptoms


• Show high levels of the protein Amyloid• Highly toxic – causes cell death• Causes the development of the plaques and tangles• Brains also have a massive lack of acetylcholine (an

important neurotransmitter)

Alzheimer’s Disease – Post-mortem

Why are you in my brain amy loid??? She likes to play twister and tangle things up. Doesn’t brush her teeth and leaves Plaque everywhere! She drinks all the acetylcholine mouthwash


Alzheimer’s Disease - a race to the cure


Not necessarily inevitable, some natural decline is normal, amount of decline depends on, how retention is measured,motivation to remember, self confidence, nervous system slowing are possible explanations for the decline.

Memory decline over the lifespan


Older people Do take longer to learn new info

STM – depends on the task, easy one part tasks ok, tasks that require divided attention not so good. Recall down, Recognition same

LTM - Episodic down, Procedural same, Semantic Same

Memory decline over the lifespan


Lesson 7 memory decline and the healthy aging brain 2012

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Lesson 7 memory decline and the healthy aging brain 2012