Forgetting is comparable between healthy young and old people.

ABSTRACT: Aging is typically associated with declines in episodic memory, executive functions, and sleep quality. Therefore, the sleep-dependent stabilization of episodic memory is suspected to decline during aging. This might reflect in accelerated long-term forgetting, which refers to normal learning and retention over hours, yet an abnormal retention over nights and days. Accelerated long-term forgetting has been observed in dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and in people with memory complaints. Here, we explored whether accelerated long-term forgetting also manifests in healthy aging. We investigated verbal episodic memory in 236 healthy men and women between 18 and 77 years of age. All participants were mentally intact in terms of executive functions, working memory, episodic memory, verbal

SUBMITTER: Studer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11682405 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature