Cognitive decline is typically considered a hallmark of aging, but research shows that not everyone is susceptible.
A Northwestern University study looked at a group of 80-year-olds who appeared to have the following symptoms: memory The researchers aimed to understand the differences in their brains, so they were comparable to those of 50-year-olds.
These people were classified as “superagers” and were defined as: Over 80 years old They have the memories of someone 30 years younger, according to a university press release. People in this category score 9 out of 15 or higher on delayed word recall tests.
The term “superager” was coined in the late 1990s by Dr. M. Marcel Meshulam, founder of Northwestern’s Meshulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Northwestern researchers who studied nearly 300 superagers over the past 25 years identified several common traits, including being “highly sociable and sociable” and having strong mental fortitude. relationships.
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“What we discovered in their brains was very shocking to us,” co-author Dr. Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in the release.
The research team examined the brains of 77 superagers donated after their deaths. They found that amyloid and tau protein accumulation was absent in some brains (plaque and tangles), a toxic substance that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Although the protein was present in other brains, it did not seem to affect cognitive health.
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“What we realized is that there are two mechanisms that lead people to become superagers,” Weintraub said in the release. “One is resistance. They don’t create plaques and tangles. The second is resilience. They create them, but they don’t do anything to the brain.”
Unlike most aging brains, superagers did not experience significant thinning of the cortex, the outer layer of the brain. They also have thicker anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain involved in decision-making. emotions and motivation.
They were also found to have more von Economo neurons, specialized cells associated with social behavior, and larger entorhinal neurons, which are important for memory.
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of Research results was published as a Perspective in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
“Our findings show that superior memory in old age is not only possible, but is associated with a unique neurobiological profile,” Weintraub said. “This opens the door to new interventions aimed at maintaining brain health during the later decades of life.”
Researchers hope to use this information about what superagers have in common to develop new methods. Increase cognitive resilience And it could prevent or delay Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, the researchers said.
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Dr. Mark Siegel, a senior medical analyst at Fox News, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings to Fox News Digital.
“In people who continued to perform very well in terms of thinking, memory and decision-making, the accumulation of senile plaques (beta amyloid and tau) did not affect neuronal function,” he noted.
“Those who had positive outcomes shared ongoing socialization, interaction, and high levels of intellectual engagement.”
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Siegel concludes: “The answer is a combination of: genetic predisposition At the same time, keep training your brain like a muscle, both socially and intellectually. ”
The study was funded by the Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institutes of Health).
