Differential effects of normal aging on memory for odor-place and object-place associations.

Odor-place and object-place associative memory were compared in healthy older (over the age of 65) and young (18 to 25 years of age) adults. Twelve spatial locations were defined on a tabletop board. Either six odors or six objects were presented one at a time and each was paired with a location on the board. The participant then was presented with each stimulus individually and asked to place it in its paired location. Older adults showed impaired odor-place associative memory but unimpaired object-place memory compared to young adults. Item recognition memory for the individual stimuli or locations used on the associative memory task was similar in both groups. The results suggest that odor-place associative memory is particularly affected by age-related brain changes.