Aging Cell: How interpersonal memories decay with age

One of the most frustrating aspects of age-related memory decline is that you can't remember the faces

By studying aging mice, the researchers discovered a new mechanism in neurons that causes memories associated with these social interactions to decline

The researchers report that their findings identify a specific goal in the brain that could be used in the future to develop treatments to prevent or reverse memory loss

Dr Mitch Kelly, head of the study and associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at UMSOM, said: "If an elderly person attends a cocktail party, they are likely to recognize the names or faces of other participants afterwards, but they may have a hard time remembering which name corresponds to

This kind of memory, which correlates multiple pieces of information in interpersonal interactions, is called socially associated memory and requires an enzyme called PDE11A, located in the part of the brain responsible for the memory of life experiences

Researchers can study rats' "social interactions" with their neighbors by observing whether they are willing to try a new food, based on their memories

Dr.

They also found that PDE11A levels in humans and mice increased with age, particularly in areas of the brain responsible for multiple kinds of learning and memory, the hippocampus

The researchers wondered if the filaments contained too much PDE11A, and whether that was why

The researchers found that the concentrated PDE11A filaments had an additional chemical modification at a specific location in one enzyme, while another PDE11, which was scattered throughout the neuron, did not

"PDE11 has a lot more to do with memory, including preferences

Dean Mark T.

Other authors of the study include UMSOM students Nicole Gorny and Siena Petrole, and co-authors