Photo: Thomas Hassel via Flickr
How much can vitamin D supplementation boost memory, learning and decision-making in older adults – and how much can be too much?
That’s what Rutgers University-led research team set to find out in a recent study published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
They examined the effects of three different doses of vitamin D on the cognition of older women. Continue reading
Why do the brains of some older adults look very different than those of their peers? Scientists at Northwestern University say the answer may explain why these elders don’t suffer the same cognitive decline that affects other seniors.
Image by Allan Ajifot via flickr.
These so-called “SuperAgers,” all age 80 and older, have memories as sharp as those of healthy people 30 years younger, according to a small study by researchers from the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. This is the first study to quantify brain differences of SuperAgers and normal older people.
When compared with people of similar ages, the “brain signature” of SuperAgers have a thicker region of the cortex; significantly fewer tangles — a primary marker of Alzheimer’s disease – and a substantial supply of von Economo neurons, which are linked to higher social intelligence.