![]() ![]() The Elite Brains of Cognitive Super Agers These brain changes can affect thinking, making it harder to recall words and names, focus on tasks, and process new information. ![]() Over time, the brain can also be affected by declining levels of neurotransmitters, changing hormones, deteriorating blood vessels, and impaired circulation of blood glucose. Brain shrinkage mostly affects the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and the cerebral cortex, which is important for complex thought processes. population.Īccording to Kawas, a 90-year-old brain typically weighs 1,100 to 1,200 grams, and this is 100 or more grams less than the typical 40-year-old brain. She leads the longitudinal 90+ Study of more than 1,800 people age 90 years and older - the fastest growing sector of the U.S. ![]() “Atrophy is the strongest correlate of age,” said Claudia Kawas, M.D., of the University of California (UC), Irvine. “We want to study these cognitive super agers, who clearly break the expectation of cognitive decline, and unravel their secrets.” How the Brain Changes with Age “There is a tendency to equate aging with a decline in mental function,” said Molly Wagster, Ph.D., chief of the Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Branch in NIA’s Division of Neuroscience. NIA-supported researchers are exploring the factors that set these people apart so the knowledge can be used to help others prevent or reverse age-related cognitive decline. These lucky few, called cognitive super agers, perform demonstrably better on memory tests, such as remembering past events or recalling a list of words, compared with other adults their age. Some people remain cognitively sharp into their 80s, 90s, and beyond, defying the common assumption that cognitive decline is a natural part of aging. Sleep.Although it’s normal for brainpower to decline as people age, it’s not inevitable, studies show. 0084 Napping in the morning is associated with risk of Alzheimer’s dementia in older adults. Whether restricting morning napping would reduce the risk of cognitive decline requires further studies. Napping during the morning was associated with greater risk of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease compared to napping later in the day. However, this study highlights the significance of nap time in the risk of dementia. The duration of naps in day time increases with advancing age. However, this association was not observed for naps at other times of the day HR for naps during noon time was 1.02 for early afternoon, it was 1.28 for late afternoon and early evening, HR was 0.62. However, this association was seen to diminish after adjusting for BMI, total duration and frequency of the naps, and intradaily variability in rhythms (HR 1.71). Women who napped between 9 and 11 am were at greater risk (HR 2.22) vs men (HR 1.01). Those who napped in the morning were 2-folds more at risk of Alzheimer’s dementia compared to those who took their naps at other times with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.93. The mean time to develop Alzheimer’s dementia was 6.34 years. The nap times were categorized as morning (9-11am), noon (11am-1pm), early afternoon (1-3pm), late afternoon (3-5pm) and early evening (5-7pm).ĭuring the follow-up period, 30% of the participants were diagnosed with Alzheimers dementia. All the participants wore an accelerometer to measure activity. They were followed up for a mean period of ~7 years for development of dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The study, which was also presented at SLEEP 2023, enrolled 1203 participants from the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP), with a mean age of 80 years 77% of the selected subjects were female. Elderly people who nap in the morning and not at other times of the day are twice more likely to develop dementia due to Alzheimers disease, according to a recent study published in the journal Sleep.
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