2023-07-23 08:00:00
While it generally declines with age, the episodic memory (that of memories) of certain “super-seniors” aged 80 and over remains excellent, as good as people twenty to thirty years younger.
By imaging their brains following death, American researchers have just discovered that they have larger-than-average neurons in the brain. cortex entorhinal, a key region for memory. Another difference: their neurons contain fewer aggregates of tau protein abnormal than other people their age, a phenomenon implicated in dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, studies have shown that the cortex of these super-seniors atrophies less and contains more spindle neurons, cells specialized in communication. Knowing these markers better is a first step in preventing brain aging.
And what is collective memory?
“It is the way in which a large group of individuals remember their past, the memories they have in common”, defines Henry L. Roediger III, American researcher in psychology. These are memories directly experienced or transmitted via books, films, discussions with grandparents, national commemorations, etc. She is selective : the French associate, for example, September 11, 2001 with the collapse of the twin towers, but not with the hijacked plane targeting the White House and the revolt of its passengers, a very symbolic act of resistance for the Americans.
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