Study with 330 centenarians finds that cognitive decline is not inevitable

Hendrikje van Andel Schipper (1890–2005) Age-Related Cognitive Decline May Not Be Inevitable (WebMD): It is often assumed that a decrease in memory and brain function are inevitable parts of aging, but a new study of centenarians suggests otherwise. Investigators found that despite the presence of neurological issues generally associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), many centenarians maintained high levels of cognitive performance. (Henne Holstege, PhD, assistant professor at Amsterdam University Medical Center) said her interest in researching aging and cognitive health was inspired by the “fascinating” story of Hendrikje van Andel Schipper, who died at age 115 in 2005 “completely cognitively healthy.” Her mother, who died at age 100, was also cognitively intact at the end of her life. “I wanted to know how it is possible that some people can completely escape all aspects of cognitive decline while reaching extreme ages,” Holstege said… Despite findings of neuropathologic “hallmarks” of Alzheimer’s in the brains of the centenarians after their deaths, the markers were not associated with cognitive performance or rate of decline … “Our findings suggest that after reaching age 100 years, cognitive performance remains relatively stable during ensuing years. Therefore, these centenarians might be resilient or resistant against different risk factors of cognitive decline,” the authors write. They also speculate that resilience may be attributable t...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Education & Lifelong Learning aging assessments brain resilience brain-reserve centenarians cognitive decline cognitive resilience cognitive trajectories cognitive-performance cognitive-reserve Mini-Mental Stat Source Type: blogs