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As with any other organ of the body,
the brain will lose some of its sharpness with age. Generally aging
does not affect very short term, short term or long term memory.
However, working memory (what you had for breakfast or where you put
the car keys) often appears to decline with age. Researchers believe
that this is because as we get older our ability to lay down new
memories is affected. This makes it more difficult to learn new
things. Rather than forgetting more easily, we actually take longer
to learn new things.
Memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s
disease is characterized by a lack of awareness of the memory not
working properly. Some of the symptoms of memory loss due to
Alzheimer’s are asking the same questions repeatedly, being unable
to complete familiar tasks, putting items in inappropriate places,
becoming lost while driving on familiar streets, and undergoing
sudden mood changes for no apparent reason.
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