(Exploring Your Mind) Many seniors have a similar intellectual performance to that of 20-year-olds. For some reason, which science doesn’t yet understand, their brains deteriorate much more slowly than normal. Welcome to the world of super-seniors!
Related Pence ‘Welcomes’ Efforts of Lawmakers to ‘Raise Objections’ to Electoral College Results
by Staff Writer, January 11th, 2021
What are super-seniors? They’re special people who defy what science has always told us about brain aging. They’re 80 to 90-year-olds with a cognitive functioning equal to, or even superior than, that of much younger people.
No organ in the entire human body changes more than the brain throughout our lives. Between the ages of one and six, it grows up to four times its size. From birth to adulthood, it multiplies its capacities and functions. However, it starts to age at a given point.
However, this doesn’t happen in super-seniors. These people keep their memory intact and fully functioning until very advanced ages. Why does this happen? How do the brains of some elderly people defy time and stay youthful?
Normal brain aging
Normal brain aging depends on many factors. That’s why it isn’t possible to establish a definite age for this type of process. Usually, when people turn 60, their brains undergo changes. However, this is also influenced by their lifestyle. In fact, aging can begin earlier than this.
Whatever the case, from the age of 40, the brain begins to “shrink” at a rate of around five percent per year. From the age of 70, this process accelerates even more. The main changes that occur in the brain are:
- A reduction in cerebral mass. There’s a contraction in the frontal lobe and in the hippocampus. This usually happens at the age of 60 or 70.
- Thinning of the external surface of the furrow. This slows down brain processing.
- A reduction of myelin, which affects white matter. This slows down cognitive functions.
- A decrease in the activity of neurotransmitters. This leads to decreased memory and learning ability. It also predisposes to depression.
All these are normal processes, which, along with the decrease in our senses’ acuity, mean that our learning, information processing, and memory don’t work in the same way.
The phenomenon of super-seniors
From research conducted on elderly people, experts concluded that some older people keep their brains in a much more youthful condition than their peers. However, they don’t know why.
What we do know is that these people are capable of answering memory and cognition tests as a person in their 20s would. Experts have also found that, for some reason, their brains age at a much slower rate.
According to scientific research, the rate of brain shrinkage in super-seniors is only one percent per year and that their brains only start to shrink at age 70. The images reveal that their brains are thicker and show few signs of aging at advanced ages.
Genetics and lifestyle
The current conclusions on this matter are that, in these super-seniors, there’s a genetic factor that has a decisive influence on their brains aging at a slower rate. They aren’t necessarily smarter than their peers nor have they led a healthier lifestyle.
A study is underway to determine if there’s a substance in their blood plasma that contributes to this phenomenon. It’s being conducted by Chilean geriatrician Felipe Salech. He believes that a substance related to the lymphocytes may be reducing cerebral aging.
Research also indicates that many super-seniors have led similar lifestyle patterns. In general, a significant number of them exercise frequently, participate in intellectually stimulating activities, lead an active social life, and get good sleep.
Many of them also eat healthy diets. Apparently, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids have had an impact on their youthful brain. Studies suggest that this substance has a positive impact on the neuronal network. The Mediterranean diet also seems to have this effect.
For the time being, super-seniors remain a wonderful mystery. If the mystery is ever resolved, it would surely end up benefiting us all.
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
The news is important to all people because it is where we come to know new things about the world, which leads to the development of more life goals that lead to life wisdom. The news also serves as a social connection tool, as we tend to relate to those who know about and believe the things we do. With the power of an open truth-seeking mind in hand, the individual can grow wise and the collective can prosper.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammatical mistake? Send an email to [email protected], with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at [email protected]. Thank you for reading.
Source:
https://exploringyourmind.com/super-seniors-an-unexplained-phenomenon/
Leave a Reply