Why is it harder and harder for people to remember things as
they get older? Is it because their brain is full? Not so,
according to a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist: According to a
Johns Hopkins neuroscientist, however, the real trouble is that
our aging brains are unable to process this information as "new"
because the brain pathways leading to the hippocampus -- the
area of the brain that stores memories -- become degraded over
time. As a result, our brains cannot accurately "file" new
information (like where we left the car that particular
morning), and confusion results. "Our research uses brain
imaging techniques that investigate both the brain's functional
and structural integrity to demonstrate that age is associated
with a reduction in the hippocampus's ability to do its job, and
this is related to the reduced input it is getting from the rest
of the brain," said Michael Yassa, assistant professor of
psychological and brain sciences in Johns Hopkins' Krieger
School of Arts and Sciences. "As we get olde