SuperAgers

Scientists have discovered why a lucky few people in their 80s retain razor-sharp memories - performing as well as those three decades younger. The remarkable group, dubbed SuperAgers, appear to resist the usual signs of cognitive decline because their brains stay biologically young. Researchers in the US found they were far less likely to have a build-up of two toxic proteins - amyloid and tau - which are known to spread through the brain and cause memory problems. These proteins can form plaques and tangles that interfere with brain cell function and are thought to drive Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia. The team also discovered that super-agers showed no significant thinning of their cortex - the brain's outer layer, which plays a key role in decision-making and memory. Experts said the findings, described as 'earth-shattering', could pave the way for new methods to prevent or delay memory decline in later life. Professor Sandra Weintraub, a neuropsychologist at Northwestern University in Illinois, said: 'Our findings show that exceptional memory in old age is not only possible but is linked to a distinct neurobiological profile. 'This opens the door to new interventions aimed at preserving brain health well into the later decades of life.' The term SuperAger was coined in the late 1990s by Dr M. Marsel Mesulam, founder of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease at Northwestern University in the US. To qualify as a SuperAger, participants must be aged 80 or over and score as well as someone in their 50s or 60s on a standard memory recall test, remembering at least nine out of 15 words after a delay. They must also perform normally for their age on other cognitive measures such as language, attention and executive function, and have no history of neurological or psychiatric illness that could affect performance. Those accepted into the programme are reassessed annually with brain scans and cognitive testing – and many later choose to donate their brains for research. Since 2000, some 290 SuperAgers have taken part in the programme, with researchers examining 77 of their donated brains after death. Some of these brains contained the toxic amyloid and tau proteins - also known as plaques and tangles - that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, while others showed no build-up at all. Professor Sandra Weintraub said: 'What we realised is there are two mechanisms that lead someone to become a SuperAger.