The Memory Gym

by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

[ Back to main article ]

Research Profile - June 2007

Dr. Nicole Anderson could one day have the memory builder you've been searching for. With her research team at Baycrest in Toronto she's developing a memory training program that's proving that older brains can learn new tricks - and even remember them.

As we age there's a gradual decline in our ability to form new long-term memories.

"It's why many older adults can remember their wedding day like it was yesterday, but can't remember details from what they did last week," says Dr. Anderson, a cognitive rehabilitation scientist. "What's particularly affected is our source memory - our ability to recollect information about the source of recent events, like whether you've seen or heard something before."

So in her lab she's creating a training program to boost seniors' source memory.

The problem with many existing memory training programs, says Dr. Anderson, is that they require intensive effort, have little effect, and the gains aren't generalizable to other situations.

But the results from a pilot study show that her method might overcome these hurdles. The study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, involved 28 memory training sessions over the course of two weeks, with eight adults, aged on average 74-years-old.

In each session, participants were presented with a series of words. They saw some words, and heard others. Each word was repeated at some point and the participant indicated how the word was presented the previous time, i.e was it seen or heard.

Initially, participants were able to successfully do this only when a single word intervened before a word was repeated. However after two weeks of this memory training, participants could accurately recall a previous word's delivery mode on average 28 words later. One participant could even do so after 64 words.

"Our results show that the gains transfer to other memory tests," says Dr. Anderson. "And the really good news is that after training the participants reported being more satisfied with their memory in daily life."

The pilot study also raised a mystery. For two participants the memory training had no effect. Dr. Anderson is exploring factors that predict who will and who won't benefit from training.

She's now launched a 32-person study to further put the memory training technique through its paces and see if it truly delivers better recollection. This study will also use brain imaging technology to identify the brain regions involved in improved memory.

"Our research speaks to the older brain's ability to adapt," says Dr. Anderson. "If we can change the way our brains actually work as we age it might not only improve memory, but also delay the onset of more insidious forms of cognitive decline, such as dementia."