Memory prowess of 'SuperAgers' studied

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EVANSTON, Ill., Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists studying a group of 80-year-olds say some have brains that seem immune to typical declines in thinking and memory, dubbing them "SuperAgers."

"We know that as we age, our cognitive skills decline and there's also a change in the amount of brain matter," Emily Rogalski of the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University told CNN.

"Then there are these people over 80 who seem particularly sharp and somehow resist changes in memory when they age."

Rogalski and her colleagues said the outer layer of the brain called the cortex with the densest concentration of cells was quite thick in "Super Agers," much thicker than in a typical group of 80-year-olds.

The cortex has a significant role in memory.

The researchers performed MRI scans of 12 "SuperAgers" and measured cortical thickness similar to that in a control group of 14 people in their 50s and 60s.

"So they're over age 80 and their memory performance is at least as good as people in their 50s or 60s," Rogalski said. "They've been able to get around this process (of cognitive decline) that seems so probable in most individuals."

The group of "SuperAgers" would be monitored over the long term and receive intermittent brain scans and cognitive exams, said Rogalski.

Her research has been published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.