# NEURAL CORRELATES OF AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN MEMORY

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS · 1993 · $209,295

## Abstract

Memory complaints are abundant even in healthy elderly, and a clear-cut
distinction between pathological declines and normative changes is not
easily drawn.  Cumulative evidence from research on amnesia suggests that
specific areas of the brain may be critically important for acquisition,
maintenance and retrieval of memories.  In spite of considerable gains
of the last decades, our understanding of the relationship between brain
aging and the associated declines in memory is still lacking.  Aging does
not affect all memory functions uniformly.  Declarative memory is
impaired both in healthy elderly and in amnesiacs, priming is relatively
spared in both groups, whereas skill and source memory are spared in
amnesia, but impaired in aging.  The question is, whether this pattern
of selective age-related memory deficits reflects a distinct pattern of
brain deterioration.  The main objective of the proposed project is to
provide a better understanding of the neuroanatomical substrates of the
memory functions declining with age.  In a series of studies, healthy
adults aged 18-88 will undergo tests of amnestic and cognitive functions.
The size of specific brain structures will be estimated from magnetic
resonance imaging scans using computer-assisted morphometry.  The
relations between tissue volume in the brain regions of interest (ROIs)
and memory functions will be examined using linear models.  The following
questions will be addressed in three studies.  1.  Is age-related atrophy
of the hippocampal formation and diencephalic structures predictive of
declines in declarative memory?  2.  Is intact neocortex necessary for
normal repetition priming?  3.  Are age-related differences in source
memory linked to age-dependent prefrontal cortical atrophy through the
decline in working memory?  4.  Are the deficits in procedural (skill)
memory, frequently observed in older adults, related to age-dependent
atrophy of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum?

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3123205
- **Project number:** 1R01AG011230-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
- **SAM.gov UEI:** F2VSMAKDH8Z7
- **Principal Investigator:** NAFTALI RAZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $209,295
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1993-09-30 → 1997-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3123205

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3123205, NEURAL CORRELATES OF AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN MEMORY (1R01AG011230-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3123205. Licensed CC0.

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