Age-Dependent Differences in the Neural Mechanisms Supporting Long-Term Declarative Memories

Abstract

Autobiographical memories enable us to mentally reconstruct and relive past events, which is essential for one's personal identity. Unfortunately, this complex memory system is susceptible to age-related deterioration, possibly changing the way episodic information is being processed in older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate whether age influences the neural activity associated with content (episodic versus semantic) and remoteness (recent versus remote) of memories. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in healthy older and young adults, we found significant age-dependent differences in the neural networks underlying memory content but not remoteness. Our data suggest an age-associated functional reorganization in the neural networks underlying long-term declarative memory. Relative increase in activity of posterior brain regions could reflect changes in visuospatial processing during episodic memory retrieval in older adults.