MDLinxPeople Who Live to Be 90+ with Superior Thinking Skills Found to be Resilient to Alzheimer’s Pathology in their Brains

Unveiling the Secret to Superior Cognitive Health in the Oldest-Old

In a breakthrough research, an understanding of the resistance of certain 90+ individuals to neurodegenerative pathologies leading to superior cognitive abilities emerges, presenting avenues for preserving cognitive health in advanced ages.

Key Points:

• Researchers found that the oldest-old (90+) with superior cognitive skills exhibit similar Alzheimer’s pathology levels as Alzheimer’s patients, but less pathology related to other neurodegenerative diseases.
• The research, titled “Superior Global Cognition in Oldest-Old is Associated with Resistance to Neurodegenerative Pathologies: Results from the 90+ Study,” appeared in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
• Study lead Roshni Biswas noted that while Alzheimer’s and vascular changes are common in these individuals’ brains, they are less prone to other neurodegenerative changes, such as Lewy body disease.
• Over the past 30 years, the U.S. population aged 90 and older has nearly tripled, with a projected quadrupling in the next four decades.
• The research aimed to understand the brain characteristics of people without cognitive impairment over 90, and their link to superior cognitive skills and reasoning.
• Autopsy data from 102 cognitively normal individuals who died at an average age of 97.6 years, and cognitive test scores from people taken 2-12 months before death, were analyzed.
• Future research will investigate how lifestyle habits and health conditions are associated with superior cognition in 90+ individuals, and the factors contributing to maintaining stable cognitive function over time.