By Bernie Tafoya
A new study finds the brains of so-called “superagers” have at least one quality that the brains of other senior citizens do not.
According to a study by researchers from the University of Illinois-Chicago, Northwestern University and the University of Washington, the brains of older adults with super healthy memories grow more neurons than those of their peers.
Researchers looked at donated brain samples from five groups ranging from healthy young adults to adults 80-years old and older with exceptional memories--so-called superagers--to those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Orly Lazarov, PhD., professor at the UIC College of Medicine and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Training Program, superagers’ brains had a distinct resilience signature and generated twice as many neurons than those of other healthy older adults.
UIC biochemistry and molecular genetics professor Dr. Jalees Rehman says that, with an overall increase in life expectancy, more needs to be done to ensure a high quality of life includes cognitive health.
The study defines Superagers as people 80 years old or older whose performance on memory tests were equal to or better than people aged 50 to 59.
Dr. Lazarov says the findings are a big step forward in understanding how the human brain processes cognition, forms memories and ages.
She says “determining why some brains age more healthily than others can help researchers make therapeutics for healthy aging, cognitive resilience and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.”
Dr. Lazarov says something in the brains of superagers allows them to maintain a superior memory. She believes the neuron generation in the hippocampus or brain’s memory center is the secret ingredient.