SuperAgers: A Glimpse of the Fountain of Youth?

Who wouldn't want to be living a "normal" life in their 80's and 90's?  For a lucky few, that dream will become a reality.  A SuperAger is a person who is 80 years or older and whose memory capability rivals that of someone 50-60 years old.  In other words, the 80-90 year old has a memory as sharp as the 50 year old.  In a study performed by Northwestern University, Bharani et al. found that older-learning adults displayed accuracy similar to younger adults when given a rule-based category-learning task.  However, during the tasks, the high-performing older adults exhibited longer response times.  It is important to mention that compared to non-learning older adults, they performed better during learning tasks.  Additionally, the high-performing older adults displayed stronger frontal LPC activity than the younger adults! High-performing older adults had increased prefrontal cortex activity while performing memory tasks.  

Why should we study SuperAgers?  By identifying the factors in the SuperAging phenomenon, one could apply those factor to delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. It is the hope that Alzheimer’s disease could be prevented rather than treat it after diagnosis.  What distinguishes a SuperAger from a normal 80 year old?  NBC News reported on a study conducted by Northwestern University.  In this study, it was revealed that SuperAgers had a thicker and larger anterior cingulate cortex, a region that aids in attention. In addition to a thicker anterior cingulate cortex, SuperAgers have less tangles and a higher concentration of von Economo neurons (which are linked to social intelligence) in this region.  In persons affected with Alzheimer’s disease, the anterior cingulate cortex has a decreased thickness. 

This leads to the question, what do SuperAgers do that makes them unique?  It might be biological and genetic factors that contribute to this phenomenon.  Perhaps, it is the way these SuperAgers live.  CBS News interviewed some of the SuperAgers that participated in the study.  Lou Ann Schachner and Alma Alspach, both 86 years old, have no idea what contributed to SuperAging, but they both keep busy.  Barb Shaeffer, 85, enjoys working on crossword puzzles in the morning.  A common theme of the SuperAgers is keeping busy.  Whether it is volunteering, working part-time, exercising or learning new things, these SuperAgers have a very active social life.  One can only hope to be healthy and have a sharp memory as these SuperAgers have.

Sources:
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/superagers-brains-may-hold-key-maintaining-memories-n303276