Preservation of episodic visual recognition memory in aging.

Visual episodic recognition memory was assessed in young (mean age 22.5 years) and older (mean age 74.1 years) adults. To isolate purely visual memory, recognition was tested with sets of briefly-presented compound sinusoidal gratings, which minimized age-related differences in visual processing, and resisted verbal encoding. Recognition was measured after delays of 1, 2 or 4 seconds. Overall, neither accuracy of recognition nor speed of response differed significantly between groups, or with probe delay, which strengthens recent claims that visual memory tends to be spared during the course of normal aging.