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Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Memory Enhancement
10:37

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Memory Enhancement

Published on: September 18, 2021

Memory aging and brain maintenance.

Lars Nyberg1, Martin Lövdén, Katrine Riklund

  • 1Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Lars.Nyberg@diagrad.umu.se

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|May 1, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Successful aging preserves memory by maintaining brain health, not just compensating for decline. Brain maintenance across cellular, structural, and functional levels is key to cognitive function in older adults.

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Last Updated: May 22, 2026

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Abbiategrasso Brain Bank Protocol for Collecting, Processing and Characterizing Aging Brains

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Episodic and working memory typically decline with age.
  • Some older adults maintain high memory function, challenging simple aging models.
  • The 'reserve' concept suggests compensation for brain pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce and support the concept of brain maintenance as primary to successful memory aging.
  • To contrast brain maintenance with the 'reserve' notion.
  • To explore evidence and factors influencing brain maintenance.

Main Methods:

  • Review of evidence for brain maintenance at multiple biological levels.
  • Discussion of genetic and lifestyle factors.
  • Consideration of potential interventions.

Main Results:

  • Brain maintenance, defined as reduced pathology, is proposed as the main driver of preserved memory.
  • Evidence spans cellular, neurochemical, gray/white matter integrity, and systems-level function.
  • Genetic and lifestyle factors influence brain maintenance.

Conclusions:

  • Brain maintenance, rather than solely cognitive reserve, is the primary determinant of successful memory aging.
  • Promoting brain maintenance through lifestyle and interventions is crucial for cognitive health in later life.