Northwestern Finds 80-Year-Olds with 50-Year-Old Memory
SkimNews Take
The brain's resistance to Alzheimer's pathology in SuperAgers, coupled with their high social engagement, suggests that maintaining robust social networks could directly influence neurobiological resilience against age-related cognitive decline.
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- Northwestern University has tracked 290 adults over 80 for two decades, with 77 donors whose brains show a distinct neurobiological profile despite some amyloid and tau deposits.
- Sandra Weintraub reports that SuperAgers perform memory tests at levels comparable to 50‑year‑olds, linking the ability to high social activity and outgoing personality.
- M. Marsel Mesulam coined the term “SuperAger” in the late 1990s and founded the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology at Northwestern.
- Alzheimer's & Dementia published a perspective article summarizing the research, marking the 40th anniversary of the National Institute on Aging’s Alzheimer’s Disease Centers Program.
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