Super-agers’ brains provide insight into how these individuals maintain mental eagerness while so many of their age suffer from cognitive decline.
An Entorhinal Cortex That Is Robust
Memory, time perception, and navigation rely heavily on the entorhinal cortex. If you’ve ever had a family member with Alzheimer’s, you already know that these are the first areas affected by the disease.
Researchers at the Super Aging Research Programme at Northwestern University discovered that neurons in the entorhinal cortex of super-agers were substantially larger than those in Alzheimer’s disease patients and larger than those in cognitively healthy individuals of the same age. Surprisingly, the entorhinal neurons of super-agers were larger than those of individuals 20 to 30 years younger.
How to Maintain a Younger Brain?
In addition to their larger dimensions, the neurons of super-agers were also healthier. Despite the susceptibility of entorhinal cells to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, a previous study discovered that the brains of super-agers contained little evidence of the neurofibrillary tangles that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
Emily Rogalski, director of North Western’s Super Aging Project, stated in a podcast with the American Psychological Association (APA) that in super-agers, the anterior cingulate, an essential brain region for memory and attention, is thicker. Also, the brains of super-agers age more slowly than the brains of most people.
Obviously, this does not explain why super-agers have larger, healthier entorhinal neurons, denser anterior cingulate, and brains that are resistant to shrinkage. The Super Aging Project and others are focusing on answering this query.
Healthy Habits of Elderly
Larger, more robust neurons may be the result of genetics. However, it is plausible that this is not the entire story. It appears that super-agers work harder. An increasing body of research suggests that mental and physical activity is at least one of the keys to healthy aging.
Physical exercise benefits the intellect. According to the CDC, you don’t need to be a gym devotee to reap the benefits of exercise. Walking your dog, taking the stairs instead of the lift, or even just dancing around the house to your favorite music will give your brain the necessary exercise boost.
Aspiring super-agers should maintain their social connections. As with physical activity, what constitutes a social connection varies from person to person.
You do not need to be an extrovert to obtain the benefit. Keeping in touch with family and close acquaintances is also beneficial.
This is the time. You can still improve your super ager game.
