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CNN
21 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
80-year-old ‘SuperAger' brain operates like that of a 50-year-old. Here's why
The human brain shrinks as it ages, affecting the ability to remember — it's part of life. Yet there are a lucky few, called 'SuperAgers,' who possess a brain that fights back. For these people, memories stay as sharp as they were 30 or more years in the past. Carol Siegler, who lives in the Chicago suburb of Palatine, is a SuperAger. At 82, she won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for her age group, which she said she entered 'as a gag.' 'I've auditioned twice for 'Jeopardy!' and did well enough on it to be invited to the live auditions. Then Covid hit,' Siegler told me in 2022, when she was 85. Today, Siegler is still going strong, well on her way to her 90th birthday, said Tamar Gefen, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease at Northwestern University in Chicago. Gefen conducts research at Northwestern's SuperAging Program, which is currently studying 113 SuperAgers. Over the past 25 years, however, 80 SuperAgers have donated their brain tissue to the program, which has led to some fascinating discoveries. CNN spoke to Gefen about those decades of work. She is a coauthor of a new analysis of the research that was published Thursday in Alzheimer's & Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. CNN: How do you define a SuperAger, and what have you found out about their behavior over the years? Tamar Gefen: To be a SuperAger in our program at Northwestern, a person must be over 80 and undergo extensive cognitive testing. Acceptance in the study only occurs if the person's episodic memory — the ability to recall everyday events and past personal history — is as good or better than cognitively normal people in their 50s and 60s. We have screened close to 2,000 individuals who think they may be a SuperAger and less than 10% meet the criteria. Over the past 25 years, we have studied about 300 SuperAgers — a number of whom have donated their brain for research. One key trait of SuperAgers is that they seem to be highly social people. They value connection and are often active in their communities. This is interesting because we know isolation is a risk factor for developing dementia, and so staying socially active is a known protective feature. Another common thread in all SuperAgers is a sense of autonomy, freedom and independence. They're making decisions and living their lives the way that they want to live. I feel very strongly that successful aging is not just about sociability. If a person feels trapped, tethered or burdened, especially in a vulnerable state like poor health or older age, I think it can encroach on their entire psychosocial being. But as far as healthy behaviors, SuperAgers run the gamut. We have SuperAgers with heart disease, diabetes, who aren't physically active, who don't eat any better than their similar age peers. There is one SuperAger who drinks four beers every night. He laughs and says, 'Maybe it's done me wrong, but I'll never know.' He doesn't have an identical twin to compare his behavior to, so would he have lived to 108 instead of 98? We don't know. CNN: Many of your most intriguing discoveries have come from studying donor brain tissue. What have you discovered about the memory center of the SuperAger brain? Gefen: Our studies have shown that an area of the brain that is responsible for attention, motivation, and cognitive engagement — known as the cingulate cortex — is thicker in SuperAgers, even compared with those of people in their 50s and 60s. In the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain, we found SuperAgers have three times fewer tau tangles when compared to their 'normal' peers. Abnormal formations of tau proteins are one of the key signs of Alzheimer's. In Alzheimer's disease, tau also targets the neurons of the primary neurons of the cholinergic system — which is responsible for sustaining our attention in daily life. But that doesn't happen in the brain of a SuperAger. Therefore, the cholinergic system appears to be stronger, and likely more plastic and flexible for reasons that we're not sure about. That's interesting, because I see SuperAgers as focused. They can pay close attention, engage and actively listen. How else could they recall 13 out of 15 random words after 30 minutes? I picture them engraving the words on their cortex with a chisel. SuperAger brains also have bigger, healthier cells in the entorhinal cortex, an area essential for memory and learning, that has direct connections to the hippocampus. The entorhinal cortex, by the way, is one of the first areas of the brain to get hit by Alzheimer's disease. In another study we examined every layer of cells within the entorhinal cortex of SuperAgers, and we painstakingly measured the size of the neurons. We found that in layer two, which is the layer that is most important for information transmission, SuperAgers had humongous, plump, intact, beautiful, gigantic entorhinal cortex neurons. It was an incredible finding, because their entorhinal neurons were even larger than those in individuals who are much younger, some even in their 30s. That told us there is a structural integrity component at play — like the architecture, the bones, the skeleton of the neuron itself is sturdier. We're expanding the studies of these neurons to understand their biochemical signatures, determine what makes them special, and see if these signatures are found in other types of neurons in the brain of SuperAgers. Are these same neurons particularly vulnerable in those with Alzheimer's disease, and if so, how and why? CNN: What have you learned from your research about how the brain of a SuperAger reacts to injury, disease and stress? Gefen: We're looking at the inflammatory system in the brain of SuperAgers, with the goal of understanding how the immune cells in their brain respond to disease and adapt to stress. Inflammation, once it crosses a certain threshold, is a major component of cell loss in Alzheimer's disease and nearly all other neurodegenerative diseases. Compared with the brain of same-age peers, SuperAgers have fewer activated microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, in their white matter. White matter is the brain's super highway, transporting information from one part of the brain to another. Here's how it works: Microglia are activated because there is some kind of antigen or disease, typically something destructive in the brain. In some cases, however, microglia and other immune cells become hyperactive and go into overdrive, thus causing inflammation and possible damage. The brain of a SuperAger, however, has fewer activated microglia. In fact, the levels of microglia were on par with people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. That could mean there is less junk or disease in the brain of a SuperAger so the microglia have no need to be active. Or it could mean microglia are responding efficiently to in clearing out disease or toxins, and because they are more plastic and adaptable, the microglia are able to activate, respond and then calm down. All of this is fascinating — it may be that at the cellular level, the immune system of a SuperAger brain could be stronger or more adaptive, much like the layers of cells we found in the entorhinal cortex. CNN: Whether or not you were born with the right genes to protect your brain sounds like the luck of the draw. What does that mean for the future? Gefen: Genetics are tricky. It's not just whether you have a gene or not, it about how your internal and external environment works together to influence how a gene is 'turned on,' or expressed — some may be more highly expressed, some will have lower expression. This is the epigenetic part of the puzzle. There is a list of candidate genes that we are starting to study very carefully, these are genes that also have a role in aspects of longevity, senescence, cell repair and cognitive reserve to name a few. I'm excited about that, not only for the genetics that are heritable from parents, but also genetics at the cell level, that enable each neuron or immune cell to carry out its respective job within the brain. With the technology that's advancing so rapidly, I'm certain we're going to get to a point where prevention or modification at the genetic level will be part of the playbook. Clearly, there is not a one target resolution for Alzheimer's disease. I know we all want that one easy fix but it's just simply not going to happen. It's going to take many teams and many specialists to come together and create a kind of personalized cocktail for prevention or treatment. I think it's possible, but it's going to take time.
Spectator
31-07-2025
- Business
- Spectator
In defence of private equity
Spectator readers will not need me to tell them the meaning of the Latin 'cura terrae'. Taking care of the Earth was one of central arguments of last week's front-page feature against private equity. But Cura Terrae also happens to be the name of a business based in Sheffield. This business is an environmental services provider dedicated to helping preserve the world and the natural resources that we all love and cherish. One of its particular strengths is its water services division, where its team of specialists monitor water flow and quality across the UK. By doing so, they help to protect our rivers from the kind of water pollution which last week's article quite rightly highlighted. It is a great British success story, which, over the past three-and-a-half years – since its inception following investment from private-equity firm Palatine – has made five acquisitions, added over 60 per cent to its workforce, and made numerous improvements to its operations and services. The support from Palatine has helped Cura Terrae grow, develop and invest in a wide range of solutions to some of the industry's most challenging issues, and it is just one of many such success stories across the UK. The reality is I could fill this article with similar examples, covering every sector of the economy and every region of the UK. Private equity supports the growth of well-known businesses including health and fitness chain David Lloyd Leisure, global entertainment company Merlin and leading software group Visma. These businesses – and many others – demonstrate the value that private equity is delivering to Britain. In 2024 alone, £29.4 billion was invested in UK firms by private equity and venture capital, with six in ten of those companies located outside London. Across the UK, more than 2.5 million people work in businesses backed by the industry: nearly one in ten UK workers. The old stereotype of private equity was that it invested for the short term to 'flip' a business and make a quick buck. This is just not true. The average hold period of an investment in the UK is six years – significantly longer than many equities held by large shareholders and hedge funds. And because the industry is built on performance – and on returns generated when a business grows and succeeds – there is a fundamental alignment between investors, management and employees. If the company does well, everyone benefits. Of course, no industry is perfect. When firms get it wrong, they should be called out. And the private equity sector, like any other, must be held to high standards. But that is happening. Sir David Walker established guidelines for the industry in 2007 to increase disclosure and transparency in private equity-backed companies. These guidelines have been widely embraced, with many large private equity-backed firms disclosing information at a level that is comparable with companies in the FTSE 250. Almost all major private equity-backed firms in the UK now operate to similar standards of governance as any listed business. The old stereotype of private equity was that it invested for the short term to 'flip' a business and make a quick buck. This is just not true Of course, journalists are entitled to scrutinise different investment models. But when we look at the water industry specifically, the recent Independent Water Commission Final Report made clear that there are a wide variety of different investors in English water companies, including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, global infrastructure conglomerates, asset managers and insurance companies. To suggest the water industry's challenges are due to private equity ignores the facts. Indeed, according to our own analysis, we have not found a single water company majority-owned by a private equity fund. The simple, straightforward – and actually quite boring – reality is that the modern private equity industry looks nothing like the 1980s financiers in braces, whose business was so-called 'corporate raiding' and 'asset stripping'. The private equity industry is investing in high streets, high tech, carbon capture and café chains. It is backing biotech firms in Oxford, zero-waste start-ups in Glasgow, and specialist engineering businesses in Leicester. At a time when state capacity is stretched and public delivery often lags, private capital is quietly stepping in to get things done. To return to our business in Sheffield: taking care of the Earth is a moral imperative. But it is also good business. That is why the private equity industry continues to invest in the UK's future – backing green growth, supporting entrepreneurs and helping rebuild prosperity from the ground up. Private equity brings more than just capital – it brings partnership, ambition and resilience. By crowding in global investment into British businesses, this industry creates a ripple effect. Investment unlocks investment, which leads to more growth and more vibrant local economies. The UK needs more of this industry, not less.
Sky News
29-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Italian restaurant chain Gusto on brink of administration
The intense financial pressure facing Britain's casual dining sector will be underlined this week when Gusto, the Italian restaurant chain, falls into administration. Sky News has learnt that Interpath Advisory is preparing a pre-pack insolvency of Gusto, which trades from 13 sites. Sources said that a vehicle set up by Cherry Equity Partners, the owner of Latin American restaurant concept Cabana, was the likely buyer. It is expected to take over most of Gusto's sites although some job losses are likely. A deal could be announced in the coming days, according to insiders. The collapse of Gusto, which is backed by private equity investor Palatine, follows a string of increasingly heated warnings from hospitality executives about the impact of tax rises on the sector. Kate Nicholls, who chairs UK Hospitality, said this month that the industry faced a jobs bloodbath amid growing financial pressure on operators. This week, Sky News reported that the restaurant industry veteran David Page, a former boss of PizzaExpress, was raising £10m to take advantage of cut-price acquisition opportunities in casual dining. Mr Page is planning to become executive chairman of London-listed Tasty, which owns Wildwood and dim t, and rename it Bow Street Group. A placing of shares in the company is likely to be completed this week.
Scotsman
28-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Palatine-backed Cura Terrae boosts growth with key acquisition
Duar Fleming, MD of EnviroCentre and Nick Dilworth, CEO of Cura Terrae. Cura Terrae, the fast-growing environmental services company backed by Palatine's Impact Fund, has stepped up its expansion with the acquisition of EnviroCentre, a market-leading multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy based in Scotland. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The business, which has a team of 75, will become part of Cura Terrae's Land and Nature division, bringing expertise in geo-environmental services and water management and engineering, as well as enhanced capabilities in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and ecology. This addition will enable the expanded group to offer a comprehensive environmental service across the entire UK, with the four Scottish locations, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeenshire, enhancing Cura Terrae's national network and supporting clients as they respond to increasingly complex environmental needs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This acquisition is Sheffield-based Cura Terrae's fifth since its formation in 2022 and represents the group's largest transaction to date. It is a significant milestone in Cura Terrae's ambition to build a connected, collaborative group of environmental specialists and reinforces its mission to empower businesses to take care of the Earth. Established in 1995, EnviroCentre has delivered environmental consultancy services for over 30 years in support of some of the most significant infrastructure projects in Scotland, building a strong reputation for technical excellence with a wide range of long-standing clients. Nick Dilworth, CEO of Cura Terrae said: 'We're proud to welcome EnviroCentre into the Cura Terrae group. From the outset, it was clear that we shared not only technical goals, but a common purpose. 'This acquisition brings complementary expertise and geographic reach to the group, while adding a team of people whose values closely align with our own. The addition of EnviroCentre to the Cura Terrae group will provide fantastic opportunities for our people to flourish with clients benefiting from a greater depth and breadth of services.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad EnviroCentre will provide a significant boost to Cura Terrae's presence in Scotland, bringing the total number of professionals in the Land and Nature business to over 175 across the UK and the broader Cura Terrae group to around 400. The combination presents an exciting opportunity to expand services both sides of the border, and for clients to benefit from the broader group resources. Duar Fleming, MD of EnviroCentre said: 'Joining Cura Terrae is an exciting step for our team. To grow the impact of our work we wanted to find a partner who understood our culture, respected our people, and shared our long-term goal toto enhance the environment. Greg Holmes, Investment Director in the Palatine Impact Fund, added: 'This is an important strategic acquisition for Cura Terrae, broadening its service capabilities and its geographic reach. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We continue to work with Nick and the team to identify other suitable targets that will further enhance Cura Terrae's growth and mission to take care of the earth.' Cura Terrae's integration team is focused on working with EnviroCentre's senior leadership to ensure a smooth transition for clients and employees, focused on continuity of service quality and delivering added value to all. Cura Terrae were advised by Hill Dickinson Manchester Corporate (Graeme Anderson and James Down) along with employment colleagues David Parry and Isobel Pye. Forvis Mazars LLP provided Financial Due Diligence (Alex Bell, Ed Shires and Tarifa Simpson) and Tax Due Diligence (David Burke and Chloe Twidale). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bellweather Green Corporate (Stephanie Farrell, April Bingham and Paige Murray) advised the shareholders of EnviroCentre and taxation advice was also provided by tax specialists, Robertson Craig (John Fowlie and Holly Birnie). The EnviroCentre shareholders have been supported on strategic matters over a period by consultant Kevin Windram culminating in this exit to a carefully selected partner.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Illinois woman charged with felony DUI after crash injures mom, 2 kids: police
The Brief A woman and her two young children were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle crash Friday night in Palatine. Police say the driver, Rosalba Ramirez-Fraga, was intoxicated, had open alcohol containers in her vehicle, and was driving the wrong way before the head-on collision. Ramirez-Fraga faces multiple charges, including two felony DUI counts, and remains in custody ahead of her Aug. 8 court date. PALATINE, Ill. - A suburban woman is facing felony DUI charges after a multi-vehicle crash in Palatine left a mother and her two young children hospitalized with serious injuries, police said. What we know The crash happened shortly after 10 p.m. Friday near East Dundee Road and North Kennedy Drive. Palatine police said officers arrived to find several damaged vehicles, including a black Lexus and a black Nissan that had collided head-on. A 23-year-old woman riding in the Nissan, along with her 7-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter, were taken to area hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. An investigation revealed the driver of the Lexus, Rosalba Ramirez-Fraga, 31, was traveling northbound on North Frontage Road when she rear-ended a gray Toyota. Police said she then continued into the westbound lanes of East Dundee Road while driving eastbound — ultimately crashing head-on into the Nissan. Officers said Ramirez-Fraga showed signs of impairment and admitted to drinking before the crash. Police also recovered several open containers of alcohol from her vehicle. Charges Filed Ramirez-Fraga was arrested and charged with the following: Aggravated DUI (alcohol) – great bodily harm (Class 4 felony) Aggravated DUI (alcohol) – no valid insurance (Class 4 felony) DUI (alcohol) (Class A misdemeanor) No valid driver's license (Class B misdemeanor) Failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident (petty offense) Illegal transportation of open alcohol – driver (petty offense) Additional petty and business offenses related to the crash What's next She appeared in court Wednesday and was ordered held until her next appearance, scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 8 in Rolling Meadows.
