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Abstract
Older adults process emotional information differently than young adults, placing more emphasis on pleasant information. Age-related changes in emotional processing have downstream effects on the types of information that are remembered best; whereas young adults remember negative information well, older adults often show greater mnemonic benefits for positive information. Although these cognitive changes have been discussed previously (Mather, 2006; Mather & Carstensen, 2005), here we review the neural changes that may mediate these age-related changes. We suggest that changes in older adults’ recruitment of prefrontal regions during emotional processing may reflect not only age-related changes in emotion regulation but also changes in self-referential processing. Because little research has examined the links between the neural networks supporting older adults’ emotional and cognitive functioning, we conclude with a discussion of avenues meriting further research.
Acknowledgements
Preparation of this manuscript was supported by grants to EAK from the National Science Foundation, the American Federation for Aging Research, and the Dana Foundation.