Middle-age-plus memory decline may just be a matter of changing focus

Middle-age-plus memory decline may just be a matter of changing focus | KurzweilAI:
"Are you middle-aged or older and having problems remembering details, like where you left the keys or parked your car?
Cheer up, it may simply be the result of a change in what information your brain focuses on during memory formation and retrieval, rather than a decline in brain function, according to a study by McGill University researchers.
In the study, published in the journal, NeuroImage, 112 healthy adults ranging in age from 19 to 76 years were shown a series of faces.
Participants were then asked to recall where a particular face appeared on the screen (left or right) and when it appeared (least or most recently).
The researchers used functional MRI to analyze which parts of brain were activated during recall of these details.
Different parts of the brain involved
Senior author Natasha Rajah, Director of the Brain Imaging Centre, and colleagues found that young adults activated their visual cortex while successfully performing this task.
But for middle-aged and older adults, their medial prefrontal cortex was activated instead.
That’s a part of the brain known to be involved with information having to do with one’s own life and introspection.
This may reflect changes in what adults deem “important information” as they age, she said..."