When large decrements in recent memory do occur in the elderly, it may indicate pathology rather than normal aging. Fifty-nine subjects who took the Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) every six years during their fifth through eighth decades were examined for memory changes. Some individuals showed no change in BVRT scores over 25 years, whereas others showed large changes. Other than one DAT case, no differences were found in degree of chronic illness between those individuals who changed and those who did not change.