Northwestern Finds 80-Year-Olds with 50-Year-Old Memory — SkimNews
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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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