Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Releases
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Investigating SuperAgers’ Remarkable Memory
Disease Discoveries

Investigating SuperAgers’ Remarkable Memory

By Nora DunneOct 28, 2014
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
“This study focuses on something good about aging – it’s not about getting wrinkles or losing functional capacity. It’s about people doing really well,” said Emily J Rogalski, ’07 PhD, pictured with fellow principal study investigators Changiz Geula, PhD, (left) and M. Marsel Mesulam, MD (right).

In 2012, scientists at Feinberg’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CNADC) captured national attention by identifying for the first time a group of people over 80 with remarkable, age-defying memory power. Now, the same scientists have received a five-year, $2.28 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to continue studying these “SuperAgers” to find out how they resist cognitive decline.

“This project started as proof of concept. We wanted to know if it was possible to find individuals with unusually superb memory performance for their age,” said Emily J Rogalski, ’07 PhD, research associate professor at the CNADC and one of the principal investigators of the study. “So far we have shown that not only is it possible, but there are also some biologically interesting things about these individuals’ brains.”

Memory loss is one of the most common complaints from older adults. At the same time, age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. By studying people in their 80s and 90s who score very well on memory tests – at least as well or even better than individuals in their 50s and 60s – the scientists hope to find clues to help treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

“We want to know what these cognitively healthy individuals have in common – biologically, psychosocially and genetically,” said Rogalski. “The goal is to identify modifiable factors that we can share with others.”

The two MRI brain scans show a healthy 50-to-60-year-old (left) and a SuperAger (right). The anterior cingulate cortex, highlighted in turquoise, is thicker in the SuperAger than in the 50-to-60-year-old. 

 

In an earlier study, Rogalski’s team found physical and genetic differences between 12 SuperAgers and normal agers, including a thicker cortex and less of a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease risk. In the next iteration of this research, funded by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging, the scientists will follow a larger cohort – so far there are about 60 participants – for the rest of their lives. Most have already agreed to donate their brains after death, too.

All participants undergo standardized neuropsychological and neurological evaluations and brain scans. The scientists will also look for connections between memory power and other variables, including additional cognitive abilities, such as IQ score, and lifestyle factors, such as physical health. But early observations indicate that not all Superagers are highly educated, nor in top physical health.

“The goal is to use the data that we collect to launch new ideas about how we might approach aging and Alzheimer’s disease,” said Rogalski. “How can this data propel us toward the idea of living long and living well, rather than just living long?”

M. Marsel Mesulam, MD, Ruth Dunbar Davee Professor in Neuroscience and director of the CNADC, and Changiz Geula, PhD, research professor at the CNADC, are also principal investigators of this study, supported by NIH grant R01 AG045571-01.

Neurology and Neuroscience Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Sex-Specific Mechanisms for Major Depressive Disorder Identified in Response to Dysregulated Stress Hormones

Mar 23, 2023

Pre-Surgery Immunotherapy May Increase Survival in Advanced Melanoma

Mar 23, 2023

Hormone Therapy Plus Current Treatments Improves Survival in Prostate Cancer

Mar 22, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Sex-Specific Mechanisms for Major Depressive Disorder Identified in Response to Dysregulated Stress Hormones

Mar 23, 2023

Pre-Surgery Immunotherapy May Increase Survival in Advanced Melanoma

Mar 23, 2023

Hormone Therapy Plus Current Treatments Improves Survival in Prostate Cancer

Mar 22, 2023

How ChatGPT Has, and Will Continue to, Transform Scientific Research

Mar 21, 2023

New Directions for HIV Treatment

Mar 21, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
20230317_NM651
20230317_NM610
20230317_NM569
20230317_NM537
20230317_NM331
20230317_NM323
20230317_NM316
20230317_NM336
20230317_NM626
20230317_NM662
20230317_NM655
20230317_NM642

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.