Over the course of life, memory fades with varying degrees, robbing older people of the ability to recollect personal experiences. This progressive, nearly inevitable process has long been hypothesized as a consequence of nature's removal of dendritic spines, a key component of synapses, from brain neurons as they age. Resarchers now provide evidence that the preservation of past life experiences is maintained by the quality -- not the quantity -- of synapses in old age.