When
Paul Hill
Researcher/Scientist IV
Human Spatial Cognition Lab
University of Arizona
https://arizona.zoom.us/j/84342730663
Effects of healthy and pathological aging on the precision of episodic and spatial memory
Abstract: The ability to remember unique experiences and details from the past declines during healthy aging and is often an early symptom of debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s dementia. Episodic memory is a multifaceted construct, and the effects of advancing age on memory are equally complex. In this talk, I will discuss some of the neural and sensorimotor factors that contribute to age differences in memory performance. First, I will present neuroimaging data that illustrate how patterns of neural activity in posterior visuospatial cortical regions contribute to age differences in the ability to encode and subsequently retrieve precise, high-resolution event details from memory. Next, I will describe recent work using immersive virtual reality technology that indicates age differences in spatial memory are mitigated by the presence of enriched body-based sensory cues. Throughout my talk, I will discuss several of the methodological limitations of laboratory-based memory assessments that may overstate the magnitude of age differences in memory performance.