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An elderly couple is sitting on a bench while holding each other in the park. Older. IStock#: 1151872303.

Brain Impairment

Sandra Chapman, Raksha Anand, Garen Sparks and Munro Cullum

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Overview

Gist-based memory refers to the global or holistic processing of information rather than of the specific details. In Alzheimer's and other age-related neuropathologies, memory for details is often the most common and earliest impairments. There has always been a challenge in distinguishing normal age-related cognitive changes and the presence of disease, so identifying brain processes that are more stable throughout the lifetime and less afflicted by diseases such as Alzheimer's would be beneficial. This study compared the gist processing in cognitively healthy young and old seniors as well as seniors with mild stages of Alzheimer's disease. It was found that gist processing was impaired in the Alzheimer's participants but was normal for both the young and old healthy seniors. This displays the important distinction between gist and detail memory and the clinical implications it could play in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
Sandi Chapman, Founder and Chief Director, Center for BrainHealth, Co-Leader, The BrainHealth Project, Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor

Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD

Chief Director Dee Wyly Distinguished Professor, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences Co-Leader, The BrainHealth Project