The post Scientists uncover how some 80-year-olds have the memory of 50-year-olds appeared first on My Blog.
]]>A study from Northwestern University looked at a group of 80-year-olds who appeared to have memory skills on par with 50-year-olds, and the researchers aimed to understand the differences in their brains.
These people were classified as “SuperAgers,” defined as those 80 and older who have memories of those 30 years their junior, according to a university press release. People in this category score at least nine out of 15 on a delayed word recall test.
7 STEPS TO ‘SUPER-AGING’ ARE KEY TO LIVING A LONGER, MORE FULFILLING LIFE, EXPERTS SAY
“SuperAgers” are defined as those 80 and older who have memories of those 30 years younger. (iStock)
The “SuperAger” term was coined by Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam, founder of the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at Northwestern, in the late 1990s.
In studying nearly 300 SuperAgers for the past 25 years, the Northwestern researchers identified some common traits, including being “highly social and outgoing” and having strong interpersonal relationships.
“It’s really what we’ve found in their brains that’s been so earth-shattering for us,” noted co-author Dr. Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry, behavioral sciences and neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in the release.
The researchers found that some of the participants’ brains showed no buildup of amyloid and tau proteins (plaques and tangles), the toxic substances that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)
The research team examined 77 of the SuperAgers’ donated brains after they died. They found that some of the brains showed no buildup of amyloid and tau proteins (plaques and tangles), the toxic substances that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Other brains did have the proteins, but they didn’t appear to have affected cognitive health.
STUDY REVEALS WHY ‘SUPER AGERS’ MAINTAIN ‘OUTSTANDING MEMORY’ INTO THEIR 80S
“What we realized is there are two mechanisms that lead someone to become a SuperAger,” Weintraub said in the release. “One is resistance: they don’t make the plaques and tangles. Two is resilience: they make them, but they don’t do anything to their brains.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Unlike most aging brains, SuperAgers did not experience significant thinning of the cortex, which is the brain’s outer layer. They also had a thicker anterior cingulate cortex, the region of the brain involved in decision-making, emotion and motivation.
They were also found to have a greater number of “von Economo neurons,” specialized cells associated with social behavior, and larger entorhinal neurons, which are crucial for memory.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The study outcome was published as a perspective article in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The SuperAgers shared common traits, including being “highly social and outgoing” and having strong interpersonal relationships. (iStock)
“Our findings show that exceptional memory in old age is not only possible but is linked to a distinct neurobiological profile,” said Weintraub. “This opens the door to new interventions aimed at preserving brain health well into the later decades of life.”
Armed with this information about the commonalities among SuperAgers, the researchers hope to develop new ways to boost cognitive resilience and prevent or delay Alzheimer’s and other dementias, they noted.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings to Fox News Digital.
“The answer is a combination of genetic predisposition as well as continuing to keep exercising the brain like a muscle — both socially and intellectually,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“The buildup of senile plaques — beta amyloid and tau — did not impact neuronal function in those who continued to do very well in terms of thinking, memory and decision-making,” he noted.
“Those with positive outcomes shared continued socialization, interaction and a high level of intellectual engagement.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“So, the answer is a combination of genetic predisposition as well as continuing to keep exercising the brain like a muscle — both socially and intellectually.”
The study was funded by Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and the National Institute on Aging (part of the National Institutes of Health).
Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
The post Scientists uncover how some 80-year-olds have the memory of 50-year-olds appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post 4 tasks every aging American must do right now appeared first on My Blog.
]]>Fall-proof your home
The CDC reports that around 25% of older adults – more than 14 million — fall each year, with approximately 3 million emergency room visits and 1 million hospitalizations.
The bedroom, bathroom and stairs are top locations where falling accidents occur. Adding lighting, making sure that there aren’t “trip traps” like movable throw rugs or cords around, and adding grab bars and handrails are good steps for prevention.
Aging causes new obstacles in the way you live, but being proactive can help reduce frustration and improve safety and your quality of life. (Getty Images)
Scot Cheben, author of “Eldercare: Helping Businesses Support Employees Who Are Caregivers,” also suggests making sure that lighting is accessible from the bed and at the top and bottom of any stairs, as well as putting a whistle in the bedroom and in the shower or bathtub.
WHAT DENZEL WASHINGTON TAUGHT THIS RETIRED PASTOR ABOUT FAITH
To create a safe environment, you may even need to find a new living situation that removes stairs and has fewer hazards.
Taking classes to improve balance and strength can help prevent falls. And there are even new class offerings across the country that teach you how to fall safely.
Monitoring driving
Nobody likes to lose independence, and aging family members often fight to drive for as long as possible. But if you wait too long to stop driving, it can be dangerous for your loved ones – and others, too.
Video
Vision and reflex issues, getting lost, and missing or not understanding signage can all be signs that it is time to retire the car keys.
WHAT’S THE RIGHT TIME TO GET YOUR KIDS OFF THE FAMILY PAYROLL?
There are quizzes and self-assessments that can help you with evaluation, like this one fromAAA.
Cheben suggests encouraging family members to do an “unannounced” test drive for evaluation.
Now that Uber, Lyft and even driverless transportation options like Waymo exist, there are more options for older Americans to retain independence without having to be in the driver’s seat (although, keep in mind the tech limitations discussed below, and find ways to assist your loved ones, such as ordering transportation for them, if they can’t do it themselves).
Video
Shore-up information access
While technology can help make our lives easier, for aging Americans who have memory problems, technology can become an obstacle.
I UPDATED MY WILL. HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD, TOO
This becomes a bigger issue as many companies are directing their customer service and other functions to websites and online portals.
Make sure that you have someone that you trust with your sensitive information and financial accounts available to both help you navigate technology and make sure you are not getting scammed, as technology scams often target aging individuals.
Also, ensure that your trusted helper has access to your passwords and important information. You can do this through a legacy planning kit, like aFuture File system, which shares your information and wishes.
Video
Start to downsize
We Americans love our stuff, and the longer we live, the more stuff we seem to have! But also, as we age, we may need to downsize our homes or move into assisted living,
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
Once we are gone, it is often a large project that loved ones must go through in terms of organizing and disposing of personal effects.
Make it a practice to do yearly or twice-yearly purges. Whether you have a yard sale, donate to charity, gift personal effects to loved ones or otherwise, this will help keep your home manageable.
Video
As a bonus, for anything you gift to loved ones, not only will they get to enjoy your gift sooner, but you will get to witness their enjoyment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
To the extent that you go into a care facility, consider leaving most or all of your valuables behind, and secure any you bring with you. While there are a lot of wonderful, caring people who work in these facilities, there are also some who take advantage and prey on the elderly, particularly as people lose cognition.
While aging causes new obstacles in the way you live, being proactive can help reduce frustration and improve safety and your quality of life.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CAROL ROTH
Carol Roth is a former investment banker, entrepreneur and author of the new book “You Will Own Nothing” Broadside Books. Her previous books are “The War on Small Business” and the New York Times bestseller “The Entrepreneur Equation.”
The post 4 tasks every aging American must do right now appeared first on My Blog.
]]>The post Gray hair could play surprising role in cancer defense, study suggests appeared first on My Blog.
]]>A new study may have pinpointed how going gray is connected to one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.
Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, led by Dr. Emi K. Nishimura, found that pigment-producing stem cells in hair follicles respond to stress in dramatically different ways.
BREAKTHROUGH BLOOD TEST COULD SPOT DOZENS OF CANCERS BEFORE SYMPTOMS APPEAR
Depending on their environment, those cells can either die off, which leads to gray hair, or survive and multiply in ways that could trigger melanoma, according to a university press release.
The findings were published Oct. 6 in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
A new study may have pinpointed how going gray is linked to one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer. (iStock)
The team studied melanocyte stem cells, the cells that give hair and skin their color, using mouse models and tissue samples. In exposing these cells to forms of stress that damage DNA — such as chemicals that mimic UV exposure — the scientists observed how the cells behaved inside their natural setting.
SKIN DNA BREAKTHROUGH COULD LET 60-YEAR-OLD WOMEN HAVE GENETICALLY RELATED KIDS
Some of the cells responded to the damage by stopping their normal self-renewal process and turning into mature pigment cells that soon died. This left the hair without its source of color, producing graying.
In mice, damaged pigment cells sometimes stopped renewing and turned into short-lived mature cells, leading to graying hair. (iStock)
But when the researchers altered the surrounding tissue to encourage cell survival, the damaged stem cells began dividing again instead of shutting down. Those surviving cells accumulated more genetic damage, and, in some cases, started behaving like cancer cells.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Additional experiments showed that certain signals from the cells’ environment — including one molecule called KIT ligand, which promotes cell growth — helped determine which way the cells went, the release stated.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
In other words, the same kind of cell could either fade out harmlessly or become the seed of melanoma, depending on the cues it received from nearby tissue.
The study shows how the body’s response to stress can mean the difference between gray hair and cancer. (iStock)
“It reframes hair graying and melanoma not as unrelated events, but as divergent outcomes of stem cell stress responses,” Nishimura said in the release.
Nishimura’s team described the process as a biological trade-off between aging and cancer, but that doesn’t mean gray hair prevents cancer.
Instead, it shows that when pigment cells stop dividing and die off, it’s the body’s way of getting rid of damaged cells, the researchers noted. If that process doesn’t happen and the damaged cells stick around, they could turn into cancer.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The study was conducted in mice, but its implications could help scientists understand why some people develop melanoma without obvious warning signs, and how the natural mechanisms of aging could actually protect against cancer.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
For now, the researchers say the discovery shows how finely balanced the body’s cellular responses are and how small changes in that balance can mean the difference between a harmless sign of aging and a life-threatening disease.
Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.
The post Gray hair could play surprising role in cancer defense, study suggests appeared first on My Blog.
]]>