1. Aging

2. Declining function in normal aging
Working memory declines in normal aging
Frontal lobes

4. Declining function in normal aging
Working memory declines in normal aging
Frontal lobes
Some types of priming are impaired in normal aging
Priming for perceptual aspects of stimuli rather than for concepts
Perceptual areas
Visual-spatial attention
Parietal lobes

5. Visual-spatial search tasksx e e o i f g t e e y v l o k h n s h b e e t o k e f r n b n e u y h x i v z q t b

6. Visual-spatial search tasksx e e p j i f g g u e j u e p x t q o x e o v h l c f c e h e c o n o k h n n f j s a h k q h e t e e t o e b y r v h r e f n q n g i n g f c u e y h x e n w i n z q t m b b v

7. Face Recognition Temporal lobes, face recognition areas
Seems to involve explicit memory more than face processing
Possibly related changes in brain imaging
Increased activity in prefrontal cortex, face processing areas, hippocampus in aging
Related to performance

9. Brain changes in normal aging
Cell loss
Not seen in some studies
Plaques and tangles
Occur in normal aging as well as Alzheimer’s
Number of tangles is related to Alzheimer’s, not number of plaques
Decrease in white matter (glial cells)
Decrease in cortical size

10. Estrogen replacement in post-menopausal women
Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may improve memory function in aging women
Patients undergoing ERT showed more blood flow in hippocampus and related areas
Appears to affect blood flow, not structure
May be involved in memory changes, risk for Alzheimer’s

11. Effects of experience on aging
There is some evidence that education protects against some of the negative effects of aging
Increased life span
Perhaps a decrease in aging related disease (e.g., Alzheimer’s).
Mechanisms
More active metabolism decreased cell death
Increased number of synapses from early experience
May protect against effects of stress on hippocampus through increased activation
Improved support system – glial cells