We are (on average) getting older and more and more people are living to 80 and older. In that category of so-called very old there are also people whose brains seem to stay fit forever, the SuperAger.
Aging basically goes hand in hand with a slow decline in memory function, just as we slowly but surely deteriorate physically. But SuperAgers continue to have a great memory and can compete perfectly with people who are 20 to 30 years younger.
The study, that is published in The Journal of Neuroscience, examined the state of neurons in the entorhinal cortex or entorhinal cortex (ERC), the area of our brain that is crucial for memory and at the same time vulnerable to decay. Northwestern University researchers were able to examine the brains of SuperAgers who donated their bodies to science after their death. In the study, they compared 24 brains, including 6 from SuperAgers. The latter had lived to an average age of 91. Other brains came from “normal” peers, younger people or peers who had cognitively impaired.
