Picture a woman in her 80s. She tells you a story about the time her family adopted a dog from the local animal shelter. It was an unseasonably cold day; she wore a blue sweater. Though this was 30 years ago, she remembers it like it was yesterday.
And, according to a group of researchers at Northwestern University, she really might.
While not quite superheroes, “SuperAgers” are people 80 years and older who maintain a mental acuity on par with peers who are several decades their junior. A team from Northwestern has been studying this population for the past 25 years in hopes they might better understand how these cohort’s habits and genetics confer such acuity and mental lucidity.
Though SuperAgers tend to have some common personality traits, like being socially outgoing, their brains boast a “distinct” neurobiological profile. Their brains act younger, but also reflect it structurally — there is little-to-no thinning of the brain’s outer layer.
SuperAger brains also demonstrate a resistance and a resilience to the plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s. This means that not only did some folks not develop the buildup of plaque to begin with, but those who did were not impacted by it. Researchers hope the findings from studying this group could help us learn more about what impacts cognitive aging and how to combat diseases like dementia.
Aside from it being just plain cool, the SuperAgers challenge an assumption that with age comes decline. Maintaining active relationships, and finding ways to keep your brain engaged, continue to be best practices. After all, while it’s possible many of us will age without a superlative, there are plenty of ways to do so gracefully.