Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital performed a study to get to the bottom of the super-agers' superpower. What they found is that super-ager brains have certain key areas with youthful characteristics. The outermost layer of brain cells known as the cortex, for example, among other brain regions, usually shrinks with age, but that was not the case in the brains of super-agers. The size of these regions is correlated with learning and memory. As for how these super-agers are able to retain strong memories and prevent certain areas of the brain from shrinking? That's another question, but this research takes us that much closer to treating age-related memory loss and perhaps even forms of dementia.
Is there something you're curious about? Send us a note or email us at editors (at) curiosity.com. And follow Curiosity on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
:quality(75)/curiosity-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/content/landscape/standard/aa469a93-da15-49b1-c675-8a34576550ce.png)
:quality(75)/curiosity-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/content/thumbnail/standard/badd510f-69a1-4362-f44a-8c42a395e30f.png)
:quality(75)/curiosity-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/content/thumbnail/standard/610eda92-bdb5-47dc-df78-eaabf959ab23.png)
:quality(75)/curiosity-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/content/thumbnail/standard/9cb48c13-e291-4965-ceae-176619d8227a.png)
:quality(75)/s3.amazonaws.com/curiosity.content-sync/tagimages/aging.jpg)
:quality(75)/s3.amazonaws.com/curiosity.content-sync/tagimages/memory.jpg)
:quality(75)/s3.amazonaws.com/curiosity.content-sync/tagimages/psychology.jpg)
:quality(75)/curiosity-data.s3.amazonaws.com/images/tags/thumbnail/ed188b1e-2dbf-4665-c510-52978da1dfde.jpg)