DIFFERENCES IN MEMORY ABILITIES AND DEMENTIA
How good (or bad) is your memory? While most people know where they
stand compared to friends and family, no one has examined how these
differences in memory ability might relate to memory changes during aging and
neurodegenerative diseases.
"Having a good memory may protect one from changes due to neurodegenerative
disease, but it is also possible that those with worse memory have already
developed skills to compensate for pathological changes," says Dr. Brian Levine. "If
this is the case, these individuals may be more resilient to memory changes caused
by dementia."
The knowledge gained from how people with different memory abilities cope with
brain changes can be used to design interventions to improve memory. Dr. Levine
was recently awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant to
answer that question.
DR. BRIAN LEVINE
Discovered a new
memory syndrome,
Severely Deficient
Autobiographical
Memory, when
people are "living
life in the third
person".
Launched a
landmark study
tracking the brain
health of retired
NHL players and
university hockey
alumni over several
years.
Awarded the
Benton Mid-
Career Award
for Research by
the International
Neuropsychological
Society.
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