E-Mail The Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) has awarded a team of scientists at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute (RRI) a prestigious grant to determine why having prior knowledge on a topic affects how we learn new, related information as we age. This research will pave the way for optimizing the use of prior knowledge to preserve and improve memory as we get older, ultimately helping older adults live life to the fullest. "Prior knowledge has been shown in animals to transform the cortex - that is, the outer layers of the brain - from being a 'slow learner' to a 'fast integrator' of new knowledge related to old knowledge. With our research, we aim to determine whether a similar process takes place in the human brain and whether this can help offset age-related memory decline," says Dr. Gilboa, a senior scientist at the RRI, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the principal investigator on the study.