The Wonderful Young Mind Of The Super-ages

The young mind of the super-ages belongs to a group of people who retain their young minds and have higher performance than other people their age. As you may already know, human cognitive abilities begin to decline as people age. Thus, reasoning abilities, memory, and processing speed, which reach their maximum performance in adulthood, are impaired as a person ages.

This name applies to those who are 80 years or older and who have as good a memory as those who are 25 or 30 years younger. Of course, this generated interest in the scientific community. Especially when they noticed that these people also lived active lives and showed no signs of fatigue. Thus, there is a possibility that these people may even have a different genetic makeup.

The young minds of the super-ages make them special

In general, the super ages are really special. This is because their abilities are greater than what is common for their age. In this regard, some experts divide them into two categories: physical super-ages and cognitive super-ages. The people in the first group have an amazing aerobic capacity. The latter group has an excellent memory that can be compared to younger adults.

In the same way, it is more or less clear that both groups are more resilient when they face life’s adversity. Researchers even studied whether their personality traits include being more outgoing and less neurotic. This will mean that they tackle challenges differently. Maybe they even lean towards activities that improve brain capacity. It can be in the form of physical activity or other types of stimulating activities.

It is not known why only some older people have these characteristics. What is clear is that researchers around the world are trying to find out more about them in order to help adults who do not have them. In fact, they already have good results regarding what sets them apart. Therefore, why they have reached such a level of cognition.

Another kind of brain

Researchers are mainly focused on studying the young minds of the super-ages. One of the discoveries they made is related to the amyloid beta protein. This protein is naturally present in the brain and often clumps into plaque. This is the key to Alzheimer’s disease.

Thus, they noticed a greater presence of beta-amyloid and even plaque in the brains of those super-ages. However, their cognitive capacity and memory remained intact.

Furthermore, these “super-ages” appear to have more Von Economo neurons than their average peers. These neurons are a special type of cell that apparently served to meet the demands of a larger brain during evolution. Through development, they became a center of emotion, sensitivity and emotional intelligence.

Thus, researchers found several neurons of this type in three brain areas of the super-ages.

• anterior insula
• Cortex praefrontalis dorsolateralis
• (this is thicker in the super-ages and is related to executive functions, empathy and communication)

The young mind of the super-ages: Social aspect

You expect these people to also behave differently in a social environment if you take into account the brain characteristics that set them apart. In fact, a study from the University of Chicago compared a group of super-ages with a group of peers who were similar in terms of personality, well-being and memory.

They observed similar levels of well-being in both groups. However, the super-ages scored higher on the positive-negative relationship quality scale. In other words, they showed greater satisfaction and quality in their relationships. This finding fits with greater development of the Von Economo neurons and anterior cingulate cortex, and establishes itself as a key point in the preservation of a person’s mind.

In addition, it confirms a large field of research that has confirmed that social activities and positive interactions are very beneficial for cognitive health. Not just because of the importance of social support, but because, when people interact with each other, they activate the whole brain and improve some cognitive skills. Among them memory, attention and decision making.

So how can people keep their young minds and be super-aged? This is not clear yet. In fact, genetic differences have been observed in this youth group. However, if you pay attention to their characteristics, nature and research will again remind you that the secret to being healthy is to be physically, mentally and socially active.