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Older Age and Generalization

Effects of Older Age on the Neural Basis of Memory Generalization

Who can join

Ages 18 to 80 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome

Inclusion Criteria:

* Either aged 18-30 years (young adults) or aged 65-80 years (older adults) (self-report)
* Fluent in English (self-report)
* Right-handed (self-report)
* Cognitively healthy (self report verified by score \> 24 on Montreal Cognitive Assessment)
* Self-reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria:

* Self-reported neurological disorder (e.g., Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease)
* Self-reported uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, or thyroid disorder
* Having conditions or devices that are unsafe for MRI (assessed via imaging center's MRI safety screening form)
* Self-reported difficulty lying still on one's back for 1-2 hours

About the study

The goal of this clinical is to learn how the brain supports different kinds of memory decisions in healthy young and older adults. The main question it seeks to answer is: Do older adults make memory decisions by integrating across experiences?

Young (aged 18-30 years) and older (aged 65-80 years) participants will complete a memory task while undergoing functional MRI to measure their brain responses.

Researchers will compare brain measures of integration in older adults to those of young adults to see if integration increases in older age.

What is being tested

• Memory decision type (behavioral)

Sponsor: Caitlin Bowman · Participants: 360 · Started: Jun 15, 2026

Contact the study team

• Caitlin Bowman, PhD · Phone: 414-251-5010

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07440017

Locations in the U.S.

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Oct 2, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.