Brain Secrets of SuperAgers
Brain Secrets of SuperAgers
Brain Secrets of SuperAgers
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Day in Health
by Lisa Collier Cool
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An explosion of new research aims to solve a scientific mystery: Why do some peoples minds stay laser-sharp well into old age? In a scientific first, a new Northwestern Medicine study has identified an elite
group dubbed SuperAgers, people age 80 or older whose brains look and behave as if they were decades younger. Study author Emily Rogalski, PhD, was astonished to discover that on 3-D MRI brain scans, SuperAgers had a much thicker cortex (the region involved in memory, attention, and other cognitive skills) than did study participants ages 50 to 65. "These findings are remarkable given the fact that grey matter or brain cell loss is a common part of normal aging," said Rogalski, who is assistant research professor at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The study compared 12 SuperAgers (people ages 80 or older whose scores on memory tests were at or above the norm for 50- to 65-year-olds) with 10 typically aging seniors (average age 83) and 14 middle-aged people (average age 58). The researchers hope that insights from the ongoing study may lead to new ways to protect the elderly from memory loss. SuperAgers in the study include an octogenarian attorney, a 96 -year-old retired neuroscientist, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor and an 81-year-old pack-a-day smoker who drinks a nightly martini, according to Associated Press. Fewer than 10 percent of those who tried to sign up for the study, which is continuing to enroll participants, met the rigorous criteria. Other new studies are uncovering surprisingly simpleand often enjoyable ways to keep your mind sharp. Heres a look at some of the latest discoveries. Old Age or Dementia? 10 Early Warning Signs
stop or even reverse age, or illness, related decline in mental functioning, lead researcher Ines Jentzsch, PhD, told BBC News.
crystalized. Fluid intelligence is the ability to learn and process new information (which drops with age); crystalized intelligence is accumulated knowledge and experience. In the study, 173 young people (ages 18 to 29) and 163 older people (ages 60 to 82) were asked a series of questions that measure economic decision-making traits and tested on the two types of intelligence. The older group scored as well or better than the younger on all decision-making measures. The findings confirm our hypothesis that experience and acquired knowledge from a lifetime of decision making help offset the declining ability to learn and process new information, said study author Ye Li, PhD, in a report.