Autobiographical memory in normal aging and primary degenerative dementia (dementia of Alzheimer type)
Article Abstract:
Autobiographical memory refers to the remembrance of past events in one's life, and it has been studied widely in old age. However, there has been relatively little research done on autobiographical memory in persons with Alzheimer's disease. For example, little is known about how dementia influences the accessibility of autobiographical memories. To study this, 60 subjects aged 71 to 89 years were recruited, 30 of whom had Alzheimer's disease. The 30 demented patients were subdivided into three groups based upon the severity of their dementia. Interviews were conducted with all subjects to obtain life history data, and then a cued recall task was given followed by a subjective evaluation of each subject's memory. Subjects in both groups were best able to recall memories from their adolescent years and early adulthood, and then their recall decreased until recent years, for which memory was again good. For demented subjects, as dementia progressed some memories became inaccessible, and details were lost from the accessible memories. In the later stages of dementia, chronology was more difficult to maintain. Interestingly, memories from transitional periods in subjects' lives were less disrupted. It is suggested that in addition to the cognitive components of memory, sociocultural and developmental determinants must be considered as well. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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The relationship between chronic illness and depression in a community of urban Black elderly persons
Article Abstract:
A cross-sectional investigation of the extent depression in 1,022 elderly Blacks residing in an urban community reveals that lack of emotional and financial support and stressful events are the major risk factors of depression in these adults. Impairments in vision, kidneys and circulation also contribute to depression, implying that the adults consider these problems to be the worst form of chronic disabilities.
Publication Name: The Journals of Gerontology, Series B
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 1079-5014
Year: 1995
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Effects of late-onset depression and recovery on autobiographical memory
Article Abstract:
A comparative study of the ability to recollect the past among normal elderly and those facing depression for the first time reveals that the depressed subjects remembered negative happenings in the past five years rather than positive events. Recovery from depression leads to a neutral memory devoid of negative bias, where neutral thoughts replace the negative thoughts occurring during depression.
Publication Name: The Journals of Gerontology, Series B
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 1079-5014
Year: 1995
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