Latest news with #superagers
Medical News Today
a day ago
- Health
- Medical News Today
What makes 'superager' brains more resistant to aging?
Research is ongoing about what components contribute to healthier brains as people age. Recent research identified some unique brain features of 'superagers,' people at least 80 years old who perform cognitively similarly to people decades younger. The research also identified that superagers tended to be more sociable than their peers. More research into superagers could lead to interventions that help protect people have better cognitive function than others as they age, and this is an area of scientific study.A study recently published in Alzheimer's & Dementia details the unique features of a group of superagers. These people meet certain word recall cognitive criteria in later research suggests that superagers are very sociable and also identified unique brain characteristics of this group, such as higher levels of von Economo neurons, also known as 'spindle neurons.' These unique brain cells appear to be involved in emotional processing and social makes a person a 'superager'?This research looked at 'the first 25 years of the Northwestern University SuperAging Program.' This program seeks to see if it's possible to avoid the decline in brain capacity that comes with age and the possible biological phenotype — or observable traits — related to this avoidance. The paper explains that the term superaging was developed by the Northwestern Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC).Superagers are people who are 80 years old or older who meet a certain score on a test called the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Superagers' scores are similar to those of people between the ages of 56 and 66. Superagers were also at least average for age in other areas of cognitive function. Right now, there are 133 active participants in the Northwestern ADRC Clinical Core. Researchers have conducted 77 autopsies to look at the brain features of deceased participants, based on brain donation. Researchers did not pinpoint a lifestyle linked to superaging. Some participants followed a healthy lifestyle while others followed less healthy also appeared to have similar medical problems to their neurotypical peers. However, superagers were noted as being sociable, enjoying extracurricular activities, and endorsing extraversion. They were also more likely to rate their relationships positively than their neuroimaging, researchers found that superagers did not display cortical thinning, a thinning in the outer layer of the brain, that nonsuperagers there is more research needed to see if superagers start with larger brains, researchers suggest that cortical thinning happens more slowly in also identified an area of the brain called the anterior cingulate that had more cortical thickness compared to younger neurotypical participants. This area of the brain is involved in things like emotion and social networking. In the anterior cingulate gyrus, there were also higher levels of nerve cells called von Economo neurons. This was even in comparison to younger individuals. Researchers think that superagers might have this higher nerve density from birth. Researchers also looked for neurofibrillary tangles, a protein buildup in neurons that can be present in Alzheimer's disease as well as in normal researchers found that superagers had fewer neurofibrillary problems than their peers. For example, in superagers, they observed fewer neurofibrillary tangles in the rhinal cortices, an area of the brain. Superagers' brains may be more resistant to cognitive declineResearchers concluded that 'there are at least two pathways to the maintenance of youthful memory capacity in old brains.' They suggest that this type of brain could resist the start of neurofibrillary pathology and be resilient to the cognitive effects of neurofibrillary they observed that superagers had another type of neuron that was bigger. This difference may make a specific brain pathway resist changes like neurofibrillary it could be a reactionary change leading to resilience. When looking at plasma biomarkers, superagers also had lower levels of something called p-tau181, which researchers note was consistent with the lower levels of neurofibrillary degeneration. The findings further support that superagers have enhanced functionality of a component of the brain called the cortical cholinergic system at multiple levels. This system can be affected both in Alzheimer's disease and normal aging. Finally, researchers observed differences in the microglia of superagers. Microglia are cells in the brain that help control the microenvironment of the central nervous superagers, there were fewer activated microglia in the white matter, something that happens in physiological aging. Preliminary findings suggest that microglia in superagers may have distinct features. The authors note the need for more research in this area. In their publication, the authors also included a case study of one superager who was highly independent until she experienced a stroke near the end of her observing her brain, researchers observed certain characteristics. For example, the amygdala and hippocampus areas of the brain were similar to those of a younger person. They also observed features like 'low density of neurofibrillary tangles and pretangles' in the postmortem examination. Kaushik Govindaraju, DO, from Medical Offices of Manhattan and contributor to Labfinder, who was not involved in the study noted the following about the research to Medical News Today: 'We have thought that mental decline with aging is inevitable and even expected/anticipated. We marvel at elderly people who have good memories because for as long as humanity has existed, we have been told and have seen that this is not the biological norm. This research may push back against this in an unprecedented way.'Study limitations and continued researchThis research provides more information on a possible superaging phenotype, but has limitations. For one thing, it examined a fairly small number of participants, and recruitment methods could have impacted the study sample. This particular paper also did not release information on certain components, such as the gender breakdown of the group or ethnicity. This research is ongoing, and this paper noted components of the first 25 years of the research. Some reported data was also based on preliminary findings, like the biomarker data, so more research is needed. Certain eligibility requirements, such as being able to attend in-person visits in Chicago, may also affect the research. Methods of data collection may also be important to note, such as the use of surveys. Researchers also pointed out that current methods for staging of neurofibrillary changes might need to be reevaluated, since it does not reflect the presence of undamaged show one superager who had some neurofibrillary degeneration but also a higher level of normal neurons, which might not be present in neurotypical peers who have the same amount of neurofibrillary degeneration. More research is required to see what features are present from birth in superagers, as well as how the results may apply to the general population. More research into the distinct differences in superagers' brains and why they are present may also be can we learn from superagers?This research could lead to developing strategies to help 'typical' agers. Alexandra Touroutoglou, MSc, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, and director of Imaging Operations at Frontotemporal Disorders Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, who was not involved in the recent research, noted the following general benefits of studying people who age well: 'Superagers are exciting because they show that age-related memory decline is not necessarily inevitable. So much of aging research is focused on looking at pathology and disorder, trying to work backwards to what went wrong. But there are things we can learn from those who age exceptionally well. Studying those people who age best could point the way to new treatments, either in terms of interventions or lifestyle changes, that could prolong cognitive health for all the rest of us who age in more typical ways.'Emily K. Hurst, DO, AOA board-certified in Critical Care Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, likewise not involved in the current study, commented that 'identifying superagers and continuing to study their unique characteristics both biologically and environmentally, can determine how the modifiable changes may be translated to others in their quest to deter cognitive decline.''This will be a game changer in avoiding senescence,' said Hurst. 'I hope this article serves to help our society recognize and elevate the value many of those in our community can contribute in years long past retirement, and help medical professionals see our patients in their ability instead of their numerical age.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Some Human Brains Are Basically Defying Time by Refusing to Grow Old
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Some people's brains are so much younger than their chronological age, they could be hiding the secrets to treating dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. Known as 'superagers,' these individuals have brains that show physical aspects which are resistant to the causes of Alzheimer's and other conditions that cause memory loss. While it is unknown whether superagers are born with larger brains or certain preconditions, future studies could reveal gene therapies and other treatments that could thwart diseases such as Alzheimer's. Ask anyone what they dread about aging, and the thought of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia is likely an answer high on the list. The irreversible symptoms of dementia only worsen with time and can become severe enough for the person to struggle remembering the faces of those close to them and even their own identity. There is no cure for dementia (even though treatments that mitigate symptoms do exist). However, answers for prevention may lie in the brains of superagers, individuals over the age of 80 who have memories superior to others in their age group and can recall things as well as people decades younger. A Northwestern University study that spanned 25 years studied the lifestyles and brain activity of superagers both during life and in those who had donated their brains postmortem. What the researchers at the Northwestern Alzheimer's Disease Research Center found were physical differences in brain structures that delayed symptoms of brain aging that often lead to dementia. Superagers would remember at least as many words from a list read to them as neurotypical adults who were 20 to 30 years younger. Their brain age of these subjects, mostly octogenarians and novogenerians, defied the expectations of the degenerative processes that often happen to the brains of people who reach their biological age. What is considered 'normal' brain aging involves decline. The average brain usually does not stay so remarkably intact. 'During the first 25 years of this program, we established that superagers constitute not only a neuropsychological but also a neurobiological phenotype distinctive from cognitively average age peers,' they said in a study recently published in Alzheimer's & Dementia. What gives superagers these superpowers? There are several contributing factors. Somehow, their cerebral cortex resists thinning that is often a cause of neurodegenerative diseases. This outermost portion of the brain, also known as gray matter, is made of tightly packed neurons and responsible for higher-level processes that include memory, as well as learning, thought, reasoning, intelligence, language, decision-making, emotion, and personality. Superagers experience little to no cortical thinning, giving them cortical volumes similar to those of much younger brains. There are also less obvious parts of the brain that give them an advantage, such as the cingulate gyrus, which is located below the cerebral cortex and above the corpus callosum. The cingulate gyrus also processes memory, along with emotion, self-regulation and pain. Superagers have a region in the cingulate gyrus that is thicker than the same region in younger adults. Their brains also show fewer signs that often indicate the onset of Alzheimer's, such as less plaque buildup. Nerves and the neurons they are made of are another factor critical for brain health, especially in advanced age. Superagers were discovered to have larger entorhinal neurons, which are found in the entorhinal cortex and involved in memory of times, places and objects. Their cholinergic nerves, which are involved in memory and help control many physical processes, are especially well preserved. There is also a greater density of von Economo neurons, which speed up information processing, in their brains. Microglia, cells which are found in nerve fibers and often behind brain inflammation and lesions in older individuals, are less prone to causing inflammation in superagers. Something that surprised the Northwestern research team was that superagers did not necessarily have many lifestyle parallels. Some took every measure to keep themselves healthy. Others had done just about everything that would seem to counter that, such as smoking, drinking, and being sedentary. Many suffered from stress and were not able to get adequate sleep. The one thing that most superagers did have in common was that they were had active social lives, making extracurricular activities a regular part of their lives. They even reported having more positive relationships with others than people around the same age who were cognitively average. Eventually, the structure and function of superager brains may be the basis for preventative treatments and gene therapies targeting Alzheimer's, other dementias, and more neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. There are some aspects of this phenomenon that have yet to surface: whether superagers are born with larger brains, or with factors that make their brains almost immune to the ravages of time that cause others to experience the effects of brain degeneration. Either way, researchers are going to remember these findings for future studies. 'In the future, deeper characterization of the superaging phenotype may lead to interventions that enhance resistance and resilience to involutional changes considered part of average (i.e., 'normal') brain aging,' the researchers said. 'This line of work is helping to revise common misperceptions about the cognitive potential of senescence and has inspired [more] investigations.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
07-08-2025
- Health
- New York Times
The One Quality Most ‘Super-Agers' Share
Ralph Rehbock, age 91 and a Holocaust survivor, has a lot on his calendar. On the first Friday of every month, he joins a group of older men at a synagogue outside of Chicago for a meeting of MEL: Men Enjoying Leisure. Every Friday afternoon, he performs classics from the 1930s and 40s with the Meltones, the club's singing group. And he's shared his story of escape from Nazi Germany with thousands of school children over the years, through his work with the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. Leigh Steinman, 82, spends much of his time working on art projects with the children who live in his Chicago neighborhood and watching the Cubs play at Wrigley Field, which is just a block away. Mr. Steinman worked at the stadium as a security guard for 17 years before retiring at the beginning of the pandemic (his prior career was as an advertising copywriter). But he still walks over three or four times a week during the summer to see former co-workers and fellow fans. Mr. Rehbock and Mr. Steinman are both considered 'super-agers,' people 80 and up who have the same memory ability as someone 20 to 30 years younger. Scientists at Northwestern University have been studying this remarkable group since 2000, in the hopes of discovering how they've avoided typical age-related cognitive decline, as well as more serious memory disorders like Alzheimer's disease. A new review paper published Thursday summarizes a quarter century of their findings. Super-agers are a diverse bunch; they don't share a magic diet, exercise regimen or medication. But the one thing that does unite them is 'how they view the importance of social relationships,' said Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, who has been involved in the research since the start. 'And personality wise, they tend to be on the extroverted side.' This doesn't surprise Ben Rein, a neuroscientist and the author of the forthcoming book, 'Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection.' 'People who socialize more are more resistant to cognitive decline as they get older,' Dr. Rein said. And, he added, they 'have generally larger brains.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Unlocking the secrets of the "superagers"
Photo: Why do some octogenarians have exceptional memories? Emily Rogalski, Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago, has been working in this area for years. She says research often looks at people who are sick, and work backward to figure out how they got that way. But she is starting with people who are extraordinarily healthy to understand how they became so. She talks to Kathryn about "superagers" - those 80 + who have the memory of someone decades younger.
