‘Superagers’ have more gray matter in their brains

In this study, 64 very old people identified by memory tests done in previous studies on Alzheimer’s disease were compared with 55 typical old people. All study participants were 79.5 years of age or older.

The researchers found that superagers performed better on the Time Up and Go test, which measures motor performance, and on the Finger Tapping Test, which measures fine motor function.

This finding held true even when the very elderly reported no significant difference in their exercise levels compared with the control group of elderly.

“Although very old people report similar activity levels to typical older people, they may be doing more physically demanding activities, such as gardening or climbing stairs,” said the study’s lead author. Dr. Brian Strangesaid a neuroscientist at the Technical University of Madrid in a press statement.

“From lowering blood pressure and obesity levels to increasing blood flow to the brain, physical activity has many direct and indirect benefits that may contribute to improved cognitive performance in older adults.”
— Dr. Brian Strange

“It’s also possible that the super-agers’ high speeds are due to their good brain health in the first place,” added Strange.

The study also confirms previous research that showed that very old people have higher amounts of memory-related gray matter in parts of the brain.

and Editorial commentary Accompanied by the study, Harvard Medical School researchers Dr. Alexandra Tourtglou, Dr. Bonnie Wong, and Dr. Joseph M. Andreano said the findings focus primarily on the inside. temporal lobe “This is consistent with previous studies.”

Commenters noted that previous studies of another important part of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex, found that the very elderly had a thicker cortex and better functional connectivity of brain networks, resulting in better memory performance.

The anterior middle cingulate cortex is involved in various functions such as attention, memory, executive function, and motivation.

“[The] The higher performance of Super-Ages compared to typical older adults may reflect not only better memory function, but also differences in motivation, executive functioning, and tenacity in the face of challenges, suggesting that Super-Ages have a higher level of perseverance than typical older adults,” the researchers write.

A study from the University of Madrid found that very old people showed no significant differences in neurodegenerative disease biomarkers or genetic risk factors compared to other adults of similar age, suggesting that some other protective factors may be at work.

“of similar concentration dementia Blood biomarkers in the very old and typical old groups suggest that group differences reflect the inherent resistance of the very old to typical age-related amnesiathe study authors concluded.

Dr. S. Jay Olshanskisaid a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health. medical news today Due to the study’s large sample size, this finding is an important addition to the field of gerontology, the study of the mechanisms that cause aging.

“We do a lot to shorten our lifespans by adopting unhealthy lifestyles,” said Dr. Olshansky, adding that many super-elderly people and centenarians (those who live over 100 years old) live longer and are cognitively healthier because they are aging at a different rate than the rest of the population.

Dr. Olshanski recalled meeting some super-ager children and noting that their appearance supported the genetically-based hypothesis that some people’s “biological clocks slow down.” This is said to explain why super-agers performed better on exercise tests in a Spanish study.

“Even if you go 80 times around the sun, you’re not really 80 biologically,” he says.

“That’s why it’s silly to ask the super-old for the secret to longevity. They have no clue. They just won the genetic lottery when they were born.”

Dr Olshansky said the science of aging, including this study, aims to better understand why some people age differently than others and whether that process is affected.

On the other hand, he advised, “Please start by not shortening your life.”

“Even if we control all the risk factors, we will still grow old and die,” he said. “We’re left to genetics, but we can control what we can control.”