I HAVE A GREAT FEAR OF LOSING MEMORY AS I AGE. A new observational study examines how super-agers — those at least 80 — with great memory may resist age-related memory loss. Today’s topic focuses in dodging memory loss.
Older folks with sharp memory retention move more quickly and have lower rates of anxiety and depression than older adults with cognitive decline.
Are super-agers resistant to age-related memory decline, or do they have coping mechanisms that help them overcome this decline better than their peers?
Today, I want to explore a new observational study showing super-agers have more gray matter in their brains. I will end with some tools I use to age more gracefully.
“Even while you paid attention to what you must do today and tomorrow, you heard the receding sound of what you had relinquished.”
― Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening
Thank you for joining me today. I am excited as I am finishing an extraordinary book.
Cloud Cuckoo Land, authored by Anthony Doerr, is an enthralling and intricate tapestry that beautifully weaves the lives of four protagonists across centuries, all bound by a common thread of imagination and survival.
As an avid reader and lover of historical fiction, I was captivated by Doerr’s masterful storytelling and ability to transport me to various eras in history with seamless transitions.
The novel unfolds across three distinct timelines: ancient Constantinople during the siege of 1453, present-day Idaho, and an interstellar future aboard a spacecraft.
Cloud Cuckoo Land Excerpts
While juxtaposing these vastly different settings might initially seem disorienting, Doerr masterfully creates an interconnected narrative that blends themes of love, resilience, and the unbreakable human spirit.
“Repository,” he finally says, “you know this word? A resting place. A text — a book — is a resting place for the memories of people who have lived before. A way for the memory to stay fixed after the soul has traveled on.” His eyes open widely then as though he peers into great darkness.
“But books, like people, die. They die in fires or floods or in the mouths of worms or at the whims of tyrants. If they are not safeguarded, they go out of the world. And when a book goes out of the world, the memory dies a second death.”
― Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land
Though it may not be a book for everyone due to its complex narrative structure, those (such as me) who enjoy rich historical fiction interwoven with elements of science fiction will undoubtedly find Cloud Cuckoo Land to be a rewarding and thought-provoking read.
Enough about me and my current reading. Back to super-agers.
Superagers — Better Brains, Better Health
Researchers recently published some provocative findings in The Lancet Healthy Longevity.
The study brings us one step closer to solving one of the biggest unanswered questions about super-agers: Are they resistant to age-related memory decline, or do they have coping mechanisms that help them overcome this decline better than their peers?
The scientists identified 64 super-agers through a memory test (taken in a prior study on Alzheimer’s disease). They compared these super-agers with 55 “typical” older adults. All study participants were at least 79.5 years old.
Super-Ager Study Results
Here are the research findings:
Super-agers performed better on the Timed Up and Go Test, which gauges mobility, and a finger tapping test that measures fine motor function.
The results didn’t change when super-agers reported no significant difference in exercise levels than the control group of older adults.
Study senior author Dr. Bryan Strange, a neuroscientist at the Technical University of Madrid, observes, “it is possible that having better brain health in the first place may be what’s responsible for superagers having faster movement speed.”
Super-agers Have More Brain Gray Matter
The study authors also confirmed historical findings that super-agers have more gray matter in brain parts associated with memory.
The gray matter appeared more abundant in the brain’s medial temporal lobe.
The medial temporal lobe includes a system of anatomically related structures essential for declarative memory (conscious memory for facts and events).
Historical research also showed greater cortex thickness and better brain network functional connectivity in super-agers in another key brain area — the anterior mid-cingulate cortex. This area is important for memory, attention, executive function, and motivation.
The outsized performance of super-agers (compared to typical older adults) may be the product of better memory. It may also reflect differences in executive function, motivation, and persistence in the face of difficulty.
Super-agers have a higher tenacity level than typical older folks.
Super-agers Age Differently
There were no differences in biomarkers of genetic risk factors for neurodegenerative disease in super-ages compared with adults of similar age.
For example, concentrations of dementia blood biomarkers appeared similar when comparing the two populations. Super-agers may have an inherent resistance to typical age-related memory loss.
The super-agers won the genetic lottery at birth. For the rest of us, begin by not shortening your life- and healthspan with bad lifestyle habits.
Six Tips For Dodging Memory Loss
I previously wrote about some of the lifestyle maneuvers you can consider to slow the aging process:
Stop Getting Older! Six Steps to Slow Aging
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
Thank you for reading “Dodging Memory Loss.”
