Why are there some older adults who have more cognitive abilities than people 17 years younger than them? A group of scientists in the US believes they are close to being able to answer this great question in medicine.
Scientists point out that these octogenarians they are studying, also called “super-elders”, could have larger nerve cells in areas of the brain responsible for memory.
And the reason for this is that these people may have been born with these cells, or their neurons have grown more or have not shrunk over the years.
According to the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, more research is needed in this regard that can help fight dementia.
Above all, the researchers want to focus on how changes in nerve cells might impact the health of our brains. And they wonder: do these cells offer any protection to the elderly or are they a simple reflection of a healthy brain?
Autopsies
The main objective of the research program on aging at Northwestern University in the USA -which has been running for more than ten years- is to try to find out what maintains cognitive brain sharpness and how you can protect yourself from dementia.
This program includes people who are older than 80 years, have shown to have a privileged memory – within the established standards by scientists – and are willing to undergo periodic evaluations.
In addition, participants must agree to donate their brains to science once they die.
Based on multiple MRI studies conducted in the past, the researchers involved in the study have concluded that the brains of these “super-elderly” function like that of a person from 50 years and does not reflect more than 80 that everyone has.
And autopsies of donated brains have focused on the entorhinal cortex that controls the memory.
Researchers examined six brains from these “super old people,” seven brains from average older adults, five with early signs of Alzheimer’s, and six from young people who died of causes unrelated to brain disease.
And they found that the brains of the “super-elderly” had larger and healthier neurons than the other brains examined.
Another finding documented by the researchers is that they were less likely to have abnormal protein deposits, which is common in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
For Rosa Sancho, from the team Research Alzheimer in the United Kingdom, the conclusions reached by researchers at Northwestern University could help find new treatments for dementia.
“Further research will be needed to find out exactly what makes these super-elderly brain cells larger and better protected. For example, is it a genetic characteristic that older people are born with and, if so, what characteristic is it?”, says Sancho.
And adds: “While the researchers work to understand how to stop the changes in the brain that cause dementia, there are small steps we can all take to keep our brains healthy as we age.”
So far it is unknown exactly what causes dementia Alzheimer’s, but there are numerous aspects that are believed to increase the risks.
Some of them, such as age and genetics, are unavoidable, but other factors such as quitting smoking, eating healthy and exercising can help reduce the risk.
Northwestern’s principal investigator, Professor Tamar Gefen, told the BBC that they planned to build a detailed picture of the older people they studied to better understand what’s behind these non-aging brains.
“We need to study their genetics, lifestyle factors and educational achievements. We also need to capture their personal history and narratives. I have been lucky enough to get to know these inspiring people up close both in life and in death”.
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