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Headlines 5 show your recollections can change over time and can be altered by factors such as your mood, the time of day, how much sleep you've had, even the way people ask you questions about what you remember. Why do some people have better memories than others? Some ‘super mnemonists’ employ strategies to help them remember long sequences of numbers or the order of cards in a deck. There's nothing special about their brains, just good technique and plenty of practice. Other people have extraordinary memories. For example, a handful of people worldwide have ‘hyperthymesia’; a condition that allows them to accurately and vividly recall their life's events from every single day since their pre-teen years. This condition has been associated with alterations to the temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, but there haven't been enough cases to reach any strong conclusions. Do you have a good memory? Yes and no! I'm pretty good at remembering absolutely useless facts that I'd probably only get to recite once every ten years. But then there are the times I've walked all the way home only to suddenly realise I took the car to work that day... As we age how is memory affected? Normal ageing is associated with a gradual decline in certain forms of memory. Working memory will slowly decline with age, and so will ‘episodic’ memory (your memory of everyday events and personal experiences). But it's important to note that this is nothing like the severe memory loss we see in Alzheimer's or other dementias. Also keep in mind that you can slow down memory loss with a good diet, regular exercise, socialising, and keeping your brain active. "Memory is one of the most important fields of study in neuroscience. Many brain disorders, from dementias such as Alzheimer's to stroke and traumatic brain injury, result in memory loss."