Learning and remembering are fundamental functions that we experience everyday. Memory decline however occurs in cognitive aging and memory loss is a hallmark affecting life quality in dementia. Our research aims to understand how memory persists or declines. Specifically, we use experimental approaches to characterise the behavioural histories and brain mechanisms underlying memory acquisition, consolidation, destabilisation, and reconsolidation. We also investigate how these processes change in anxiety, in aging, and in dementia. Our goal is to use this knowledge to develop methods to effectively improve cognitive functions in aging and in diseases.