How Alzheimer's and Dementia Impact Memory and the Brain

How are the brain and memory impacted by Alzheimer's disease and dementia.The different memory systems -- episodic, semantic, procedural, and working -- involve multiple areas of the brain.How are they impacted by Alzheimer's disease and demenita?+Alzheimer's Reading Room Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading RoomEmail: How Memory Is Impacted in Alzheimer's DiseaseNormal aging leads to changes in the brain, especially in areas involved in learning and memory. Some neurons shrink; others are disabled by damaging molecules called free radicals. Daily "insults," such as high blood pressure or elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also take their toll.Over time, these changes can make it more difficult for an older person to learn new tasks or to retrieve information from memory, such as someone's name. With Alzheimer's disease, the damage is more severe and ultimately affects larger regions of the brain.The different memory systems -- episodic, semantic, procedural, and working -- involve multiple areas of the brain.Episodic Memory. The temporal lobe, which contains the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex are important to episodic memory, which enables us to learn new information and remember recent events. The hippocampus is one of the first brain structures damaged in Alzheimer's disease and accounts for one hallmark of early Alzheimer's: difficulty remembering recent events, without any trouble remembering events from long ago.Semantic Memory. Semantic memo...

Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - December 5, 2013 Category: Dementia Authors: Bob DeMarco Source Type: blogs