This is not my field of expertise, but generally it is from head damage or disease such as Alzheimers. Some people say it could also be from getting old, but I know some seniors who still have an active memory. Personally I think it is a case of use it or lose it (for old age)- if you don’t use your mind to remember things, you will start to lose the ability to remember things (I don’t have any proof of that).
Head damage reduces mental capacity, and memory loss can be one of them. Alzheimers research is still happening to see if they can cure this and stop the decrease in brain function and memory.
Unfortunately we don’t have a neurobiologist among us to answer this question. As Herbert said, it is a common misconception that memory loss is an unavoidable part of getting older, as many elderly people have very active minds with excellent memories. There is some evidence that “exercising” your mind and your memory (most easily by playing games and doing puzzles) maintains both into old age, but I don’t know of any definitive studies that prove this. As Herbert also said, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases contribute to memory loss. There are many people conducting research on this, including the recent development of an Alzheimer’s model mouse, and some progress is being made into understanding these diseases.
That’s a very good question that I know some people are working on, but I am not sure of an answer, sorry!
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This is not my field of expertise, but generally it is from head damage or disease such as Alzheimers. Some people say it could also be from getting old, but I know some seniors who still have an active memory. Personally I think it is a case of use it or lose it (for old age)- if you don’t use your mind to remember things, you will start to lose the ability to remember things (I don’t have any proof of that).
Head damage reduces mental capacity, and memory loss can be one of them. Alzheimers research is still happening to see if they can cure this and stop the decrease in brain function and memory.
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Unfortunately we don’t have a neurobiologist among us to answer this question. As Herbert said, it is a common misconception that memory loss is an unavoidable part of getting older, as many elderly people have very active minds with excellent memories. There is some evidence that “exercising” your mind and your memory (most easily by playing games and doing puzzles) maintains both into old age, but I don’t know of any definitive studies that prove this. As Herbert also said, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases contribute to memory loss. There are many people conducting research on this, including the recent development of an Alzheimer’s model mouse, and some progress is being made into understanding these diseases.
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