Age-Related Memory Loss is Partial; Semantic and Procedural Memory are Maintained

The widespread belief that a person’s memory deteriorates as one approaches old age is not completely true as researchers have now found that while the capacity to recall specific facts deteriorates with age, other types of memory do not. Study author Alaitz Aizpurua from University of the Basque Country in Spain said, "In old age, deterioration appears in episodic memory but not in semantic memory. Episodic memory preserves the facts of the past in our personal life, and it is more specific in terms of time and space, we can remember the last time we went to a restaurant, who we sat next to, what we ate. Semantic memory is related to language, to the meaning of concepts and to repetitive facts. This type of memory and procedural memory are maintained, and in some cases they even improve whereas episodic memory in which detailed memories are retained is reduced. Procedural memory is the one to do with skills, the one we need to do things, to drive, for example."

During the study, the participants were asked to recall three facts from their personal lives. The researchers found that an individual, whether an adult or young person, has the capacity to remember information relating to facts their private life in detail. Aizpura said, "The main difference between older adults and younger adults is as follows, the younger ones remember more episodic details."

The study appeared in Consciousness and Cognition.

Source-Medindia