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Many assume that memory loss and cognitive decline are an inevitable part of aging — but new research suggests that doesn’t have to be the case.
A 25-year study from Northwestern University analyzed the brains of “super agers” to determine what traits they share that may contribute to their mental resilience.
“Super agers” are defined as people 80 and older who show “outstanding memory performance” that is on par with those who are three decades younger, according to the researchers.
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“‘Super ager’ is not a condition, but rather a term we defined at Northwestern on the basis of a score on a memory test over age 80,” lead author Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“We were interested in memory aging because memory decline is the most common complaint in older adults. One can be ‘super’ in many ways, and this is just one.”
“Super agers” are defined as people 80 and older who show “outstanding memory performance” that is on par with those who are three decades younger. (iStock)
In the study, the researchers analyzed 79 brains that were donated by super agers and identified some key differences compared to those who “age typically.”
Some of the brains contained amyloid and tau proteins, which typically accumulate in people with Alzheimer’s disease, while other brains showed no sign of these toxins.
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“Some super agers have very few of these proteins, so for some reason they don’t manufacture them,” Weintraub noted. “But we found some super agers’ brains contained large numbers of these proteins, despite maintaining their cognitive health until death.”
This means there may be different biological pathways to super aging — “one resistance and the other resilience,” she said.
“If your relative is forgetful at age 80, it may not be part of aging, but of disease.”
With the resistance group, they don’t make the plaques and tangles, Weintraub said. In the resilience group, they make them, but they don’t have any impact on their brains.
While “typically aging” brains show thinning of the cortex — which is the outer layer of the brain that helps with decision-making, motivation and regulation of emotions — the super agers’ brains did not show this characteristic.
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Super agers were also found to have a greater number of “von economo neurons,” which are brain cells that control social behavior. The researchers also found that this group had larger “entorhinal neurons,” which are essential for powering memory, the release stated.
In terms of behavior, the super agers were also found to be “highly social” with strong interpersonal relationships, according to the study findings.
Challenging assumptions
“There is the common assumption that aging implicitly brings cognitive decline and that loss of short-term memory is part of ‘normal aging,’” lead author Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry and neurology at Northwestern Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
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“The truth is that on average, cognitive test scores decline, but the variance among individuals within that average span gets larger and larger with age,” she continued.
“That means that loss is not inevitable, and that if your relative is forgetful at age 80, it may not be part of aging, but of disease.”
Tamar Gefen, left, observes as Allegra Kawles points to an image of neurons and neuropathology while incoming doctoral student Antonia Zouridakis looks on. (Shane Collins, Northwestern University)
Christopher Weber, Ph.D., senior director of global science initiatives at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, was not involved in the study but commented on the “exciting” findings.
“This increases our understanding of people’s brains as they age and gives some insight into what makes some resilient or resistant to age-related brain changes,” Weber told Fox News Digital.
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The study shows that super agers have “more preserved brain structure” that is similar to much younger adults, according to Weber.
“The findings suggest that cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging — especially for individuals who have more protective factors that preserve brain health and cognition,” he said.
Researcher Dr. Tamar Gefen examines a slide of a super ager brain.
Weber pointed out, however, that the “super aging” study population is small and not representative of the real-world population.
“They are primarily well-educated and White,” he said. “Also, this group was self-selected into the study. These individuals may be more health-conscious or cognitively engaged than average older adults.”
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Even so, the findings could help scientists create more — and better — strategies for treating and preventing cognitive decline, according to Weber.
“The more we know about successful aging, the more opportunities we have to discover and create interventions to enhance resistance and resilience.”
Reducing risk
To help reduce the risk factors that affect brain health, Weintraub said, “What is good for your heart is good for your brain.”
“What is good for your heart is good for your brain.”
“We know that adopting certain lifestyle changes will reduce the risk of a bad outcome, but are not guaranteed to eradicate it,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Having said that, eat well, sleep well, exercise, socialize and value social relationships, treat whatever condition you have that you can treat, and stay away from harmful substances.”
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The study was supported by the Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.
The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.