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We are frequently told about the problems we will have as we get older, both physically and mentally, (the stress of knowing, no doubt, makes us age even faster). Statistically more people are afraid of getting older than they are of dying. And we can all blame the research done only on the degenerative processes of age.

But Northwestern Medicine researcher Emily Rogalski, and principal investigator of the study that will be mentioned, has turned the tables on senior citizen studies and focused on exactly what goes right in an elite group whom she identifies as "cognitive SuperAgers:"  those people 80-years and older who have cognitive function similar to persons 20 to 30 years their junior.

"Many scientists study what's wrong with the brain," Rogalski notes in a statement to Northwestern University press, "but maybe we can ultimately help Alzheimer's patients by figuring out what goes right in the brain of SuperAgers. What we learn from these healthy brains may inform our strategies for improving quality of life for the elderly and for combatting Alzheimer's disease."

On 3-D MRI scans, Rogalski noted that the SuperAger participants' brains appear as young -- and one brain region was even bigger -- than the brains of middle-aged participants. 

"These findings are remarkable given the fact that grey matter or brain cell loss is a common part of normal aging," said Rogalski.

The findings, published in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, showed that compared with other persons negatively affected by age, these participants showed exceptional thickness of the cortex or outer layer of the brain, which suggests a greater number of neurons and, consequently, hyper attentiveness and memory sustainability.

"This is pretty incredible," says Rogalski. "This region is important for attention. Attention supports memory. Perhaps the SuperAgers have really keen attention and that supports their exceptional memories."