As we age, our cognitive abilities begin to deteriorate; reasoning capabilities, memory and processing speed, which peak in adulthood, are affected by age; however, there is an elderly population group that performs better than other people around them. These people are called “super aggressive. “
This name is given to people 80 years of age or older whose memory is as good as that of people 25 or 30 years younger. This has aroused great interest in the scientific community, mainly because these people are active and show no signs of fatigue. Therefore, they may have a different genetic makeup.
- In general.
- Dogs are special because they have higher than normal abilities for their age.
- Some experts separate them into two categories: physical and cognitive.
- People in the first group have a fantastic aerobic capacity.
- Those in the second group have excellent memory.
- Comparable to that of young people.
It is also more or less clear that people in both groups are more resilient to the adversities of life, even researchers studied whether their personality characteristics are more extroverted and less neurotic, which would mean they face challenges in a different way. They may even be prone to activities that increase their brain abilities, such as exercise or other stimulating activities.
It is unclear why only some older adults have these characteristics, what is clear is that researchers around the world are trying to find out more about this to help adults who do not have it, even found results on what sets them apart and, therefore, why they reached this level of cognition.
Researchers are focusing on studying these people’s brains and one of the discoveries they made is related to beta-amyloid protein, a naturally present protein in the brain that can eventually accumulate in plaques, which are a key point of Alzheimer’s disease.
They observed a greater presence of beta-amyloid and even plates in supergres, however, their cognitive and memory abilities remained intact despite this strong presence.
Besides, does it look like these? Super-elderly people have more von Economodo neurons than the average of their peers. These neurons are a special type of cell that has apparently been used to meet the demands of a larger brain during evolution. Throughout their development, they have become a center. of emotion, sensitivity and emotional intelligence.
Researchers found more neurons of this type in three brain regions of supergres:
Given the brain characteristics that differentiate them, they are also expected to exhibit different social behavior, in this sense a University of Chicago study compared a group of supergers to a group of their peers in terms of personality, well-being and memory.
Researchers observed similar levels of well-being in both groups; however, supergers scored higher on the positive relationship scale, i. e. they showed greater satisfaction and quality in their relationships. This discovery is part of the later development of von Economo neurons and the anterior cingulate cortex, establishing itself as a key point in the preservation of their minds.
In addition, a lot of research has confirmed that social activities and positive interactions are very beneficial for cognitive health. Not only because of the importance of social support, but because when we interact with other people we activate the whole brain and improve certain cognitive abilities. Among them, memory, attention and decision-making.
So how can we become supergers? It is not yet clear, in fact genetic differences were observed in this more preserved group, however, if we consider its characteristics, once again nature and research remind us that the secret to being healthy is to remain physically, mentally and socially active.