Mediators of episodic memory decay across the adult life span

The ability to remember the details of our own experiences declines gradually as we get old. The reason for this decay has been attributed to several factors besides age, such as education, nutrient intake and health status. However, the influence of these factors has mainly been examined individual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2018-02, Vol.8 (1), p.2610-9, Article 2610
Main Authors: Cansino, Selene, Torres-Trejo, Frine, Estrada-Manilla, Cinthya, Hernández-Ramos, Evelia, Martínez-Galindo, Joyce Graciela, Gómez-Fernández, Tania, Ayala-Hernández, Mariana, Ramírez-González, María Dolores, Ruiz-Velasco, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/378/1595/2167
631/477/2811
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Amnesia
Cardiovascular system
Cognitive Aging
Decay
Female
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Life span
Life Style
Male
Memory Disorders - physiopathology
Memory, Episodic
Mental Recall
Mexico
Middle Aged
multidisciplinary
Neuropsychological Tests
Nutrient status
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:The ability to remember the details of our own experiences declines gradually as we get old. The reason for this decay has been attributed to several factors besides age, such as education, nutrient intake and health status. However, the influence of these factors has mainly been examined individually and rarely together. Here we identify those factors that jointly act as mediators of episodic memory decay across the adult life span. We examined source memory in a lifespan sample of 1557 healthy adults. A total of 70 physical, biological and lifestyle variables were measured and introduced into a structural equation model as potential mediators that intervene between age and source memory. Only 14 mediator variables reliably mediated source memory decay; notably, eight of these variables have an effect on the cardiovascular system. The model unequivocally highlights that the mediators that may impair cardiovascular functioning also impact brain resources involved in episodic memory. We identified the factors that are relevant to episodic memory decline when they interact together as occurs in real life.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-20884-2