Memory loss has long been considered a normal part of age. But for some people, memory remains exceptionally sharp.
For 25 years, scientists from the Northwestern University of Chicago have been studying these so -called super -agents – people over 80 whose memory corresponds to that of someone 20 to 30 years – to better understand what distinguishes their remarkable brain.
Support seems to be a key element of the super-aging. Compared to their cognitively medium peers, super-agents are the opposite of apathetic, explains Gefen; They are actively engaged with other people and activities.
They are in particular more gregarious, like to be with others and obtain higher objects on extraversion and features such as heat, sociability and enthusiasm in personality tests. In general, super-agents also tended to see their relationships with others in a more positive light.
Brain cells that make super-agents special
Sociability that distinguishes super -agents from their normal cognitively normal peers can be linked to brain differences – in particular, higher density of a nervous cell type called Economic Von neurons.
“These special cells are only found in highly social mammals, including monkeys, elephants, whales and humans, and they are considered key to social behavior,” explains Gefen.
“Von Economins neurons are in large brain animals that adopt social, communicative or affiliate behavior, such as taking care of their peers, taking care of children.”
After having carried out more than 70 post-mortem autopsies, northwest researchers discovered that in super-agents, the brain area which houses the von Economo neurons, called the anterior cingular cortex, is not only preserved-it is often thicker than what is in people 20 or 30 years old, Gefen.
“This region of the brain is part of the circuit that allows us to pay attention, to commit and to have a motivation to acquire information,” she says.
“When we looked at the post-mortem brain samples under the microscope, we found an abundance of these-like really filled, like sardines in a box,” explains Gefen.
The “why” behind this observation is not clear. Researchers suspect that super-agents can be born with a higher number of these neurons.
These results correspond to other studies showing the von Economic neurons link with frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer, explains Luke Kim, MD, a doctor in geriatric medicine at the Ohio Cleveland Clinic.
“However, it is too early to say that van Economo neurons could be a biological marker for successful aging,” said Dr. Kim, who was not involved in the North West study.
2 types of super-agent brains: resistant and resilient
Brain analyzes and post-mortem exams have shown that certain super-age brains contained heaps of amyloid and tau protein (also called plates and tangles), which are known to play a key role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Other super-age brains have not developed any of these tufts.
“One is the resistance: they do not make plates and tangles. Two are resilience: they do them, but they do nothing to their brain,” said Dr. Weintraub.
Are healthy habits essential to become a super-age?
You might expect that super -agents live a life that revolves around the healthy habits of the brain – blueberries, crosswords and meditation – but this is not the case.
“Some super-agents do not show incredible behaviors in living or end of life. For example, some regularly drink alcohol, smoke a packet of cigarettes per day or sleep less than the recommended amount, ”explains Gefen.
This certainly does not mean that healthy habits do not matter, it simply suggests that there is not a particular lifestyle associated with super-aging, she says.
Super-agents were not healthier either than the average person. They took roughly the same number of drugs that we would expect at their age.
The common thread was that super-agents remained mentally engaged, socially involved and emotionally expressive, whether through community work, the conversation or the hobby that fascinated them.
Ways to keep your brain healthy, super-aging or not
Although there does not seem to be a special protocol which will guarantee a super-age status, there can be ways to keep your brain as healthy as possible, explains Gefen.
The recent results of a randomized controlled study (called American pointer test) have revealed that lifestyle changes could help protect thought and memory from normal decline, she says. Although Gefen was not involved in this study, she found the results promising.
Physical exercise They aimed to obtain 30 to 35 minutes of moderate aerobic activity in Intense four times a week, more exercises of resistance and flexibility twice a week.
Cognitive exercise They used a computer training program three times a week for 30 minutes, as well as regular commitment to other intellectually difficult and social activities.
Nutrition They followed a food plan like the mind regime, which emphasizes green vegetables with black leaves, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil and fish and limits sugar and unhealthy fats.
Health surveillance They obtained regular records on blood pressure, weight and results of the laboratory.
