• Question: Why is memory affected by age? Is it actual cell loss?

    Asked by rockpeacepunk to Stuart on 25 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Stuart Archer

      Stuart Archer answered on 25 Jun 2013:


      That’s a really good question, not one I’d really thought about much before! I’ve had a bit of a read up on it, and it looks to be a really complicated issue that we don’t really understand yet!

      From what I can tell, it doesn’t seem to be so much the loss of cells that is causing memory loss, as we can continue to produce new brain cells right up until death (although there is some evidence that this process might slow down as we get older.) The most common theory seems to say that our brains simply don’t function as well as we get older, particularly when trying to recall specifics of past events or performing basic tasks.

      The actual cause of this seems to be up for debate – things like alcohol, diet, exercise, stress (you name it!) can all have an effect on memory and mental performance. It has been shown that physical exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep your memory as you get older, and it’t thought that our decline in physical ability as we age may also contribute to memory loss and other brain impairments.

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