The “super aged” is the term used by scientists to define the group of old people whose brain power does not seem to deteriorate. Scientists conducted a study to find out why the “super aged” have this ability and what makes their brains special.
Researchers examined the brains of five dead people that were believed to be “super aged” because they were able to obtain high scores on a memory state even though they were more than 80 years old at the time. They compared the brains of the “super aged” to the brains of normal, non-demented elderly who had also already died.
The results of the study showed that the brains of the “super aged” contained fewer fiber-like tangles than those of the brains of the normal elderly people.
The tangles are made up of a protein called tau which builds up in the brain cells and is believed to eventually destroy the cells. These tangles are commonly found in moderate numbers in the brains of elderly people and are increased in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Changiz Geula, a neurologist at the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, “some individuals are immune to tangle formation and that the presence of these tangles seems to influence cognitive performance."
Structures called plaques were also found in the brains of the “super aged,” though they were not found to be significantly smaller in number than those found in the brains of normal elderly people. Plaques are aggregations of amyloids, which are proteins that build up outside of brain cells and destroy their communication. Plaques, like tangles, are also found in moderate number in the brains of elderly people and are increased in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Geula reported that further research would focus on why the brain cells of the “super aged” are able to resist tangle formation. He stated: "We want to see what protects the brains of these individuals against the ravages that cause memory loss. Understanding the specific genetic and molecular characteristics of the brains that makes them resistant, someday may lead to the ability to protect average brains from memory loss.”
The study was presented during the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington D.C.
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