The brains of “superagers” with exceptional memory skills have superior abilities to grow new neurons, a groundbreaking study reveals. Neurons are specialised cells that transmit crucial electrical signals around the body. Research revealed in the 1980s that adult human brains could spawn new neurons in a process known as neurogenesis.
Now, experts in the US who studied donated brain samples have found that older people who retain exceptional cognitive function past the age of 80 show a much greater ability to grow new neurons. Brain samples from people suffering from the early stages of cognitive decline showed minimal neurogenesis, while those with Alzheimer’s disease generated almost no new neurons.
Around one million people are thought to be living with dementia in the UK, and that figure is projected to rise as a result of the country’s ageing populatoin.
Researchers said their findings could help lead to new targeted treatments to help maintain cognitive health.
Ahmed Disouky, of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), said:“What’s exciting for the public is that this study shows the aging brain is not fixed or doomed to decline.
“Understanding how some people naturally maintain neurogenesis opens the door to strategies that could help more adults preserve memory and cognitive health as they age.”
Professor Orly Lazarov, of UIC’s College of Medicine, said the study represented “a big step forward in understanding how the human brain processes cognition, forms memories and ages”.
*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***
She added: “Determining why some brains age more healthily than others can help researchers make therapeutics for healthy aging, cognitive resilience and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.”
Referring to superagers, Prof Lazarov added: “Something in their brains enables them to maintain a superior memory.
“I believe hippocampal neurogenesis is the secret ingredient, and the data support that.”
The findings were published in the journal Nature. The study also involved researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Washington.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
