Senior moments caused when our brains lose ‘clutter control’ as we age

June 15, 2016

People lose ability to filter out unnecessary information as they grow older
It means they use more brain power sifting through brain’s information
They were also less confident in their answers – even when correct
Leaves them open to manipulation and more susceptible to scams

Kate Pickles For Mailonline

Published:
06:17 EST, 15 June 2016

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Updated:
07:52 EST, 15 June 2016

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Scientists believe the reason why older people have memory lapses is because their brains are full of irrelevant information

Most of us have had a so-called ‘senior moment’ – forgetting a person’s name or where the word we’re after is on the tip of our tongue.

Now scientists have discovered what is responsible for the lapses in memory – our brains are too full of useless information.

Older people struggle to remember important details because their brains can’t resist the irrelevant ‘stuff’ they soak up subconsciously.

This lack of clutter control becomes increasingly apparent the older a person gets causing their brains to become more filled with information.

As a result, people tend to be less confident in their memories – even when their recollections are correct.

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology looked at brain activity from EEG sensors and saw that older participants wandered into a brief ‘mental time travel’ when trying to recall details.

This journey into their subconscious veered them into a cluttered space that was filled with both relevant and irrelevant information.

Cluttering of the brain is one reason why older people are more susceptible to manipulation and scams, the researchers said.

During the study, people aged 60 and over and college students were shown a series of pictures of everyday objects while EEG sensors were connected to their heads.

Each photo was accompanied by a colour and scene such as a living room. Participants were told to focus on one and ignore the other.

An hour later, they were asked if the object was new or old, and if it matched the colour and the scene.

Neither age group was very good at recalling what they were told to ignore.

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Both did well remembering the object and what they were supposed to focus on.

However, older people were less certain over their answers, said lead author and professor of psychology, Audrey Duarte.

‘When we asked if they were sure, older people backed off their answers a bit. They weren’t as sure,’ she said.

There were also differences in brain activity between the young and the old – with the latter’s brains spending more time and effort trying to reconstruct their memories.

‘While trying to remember, their brains would spend more time going back in time in an attempt to piece together what was previously seen,’ she said.

‘But not just what they were focused on – some of what they were told to ignore got stuck in their minds.’

As people get older, their brains absorb more irrelevant information, slowing down its ability to process the relevant information they are after, scientists at Georgia Institute of Technology said

Professor Duarte gave an example of a cocktail party where two older people are talking to each other.

Even though they’re only concentrating on the conversation, their brains absorb the other noise in the room, she said.

‘When it’s time to remember the conversation, they may struggle a bit to recall some details.

That’s because their brains are also trying to decipher the other noises.

‘What music was playing? What was the couple next to them saying? That extra stuff shouldn’t be in their memories at all, but it is.

‘And it negatively impacts their ability to clearly remember the conversation.’

Younger people were quicker to recall details and used less brain power in doing so.

The irrelevant information was never stored in the first place, which kept their memories relatively clutter-free.

This is why they were more confident than the older participants when remembering relevant details, the researchers concluded.

Aside from the embarrassing momentary lapses, the lack of confidence also explains why older people are more likely to fall for scams.

‘If someone tells you that you should remember it one way, you can be more easily persuaded if you lack confidence,’ she said.

‘This memory clutter that’s causing low confidence could be a reason why older adults are often victims of financial scams, which typically occur when someone tries to trick them about prior conversations that didn’t take place at all.’

The study appears online in the journal Neuropsychologia.