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Thanks for reading The Abstract. This month’s edition is
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Welcome to the June edition of
The Abstract, our monthly newsletter about longevity science. It’s Brain Awareness Month, so we’re covering five important new studies that help us better understand brain aging: the science of “super-ager” brains, nutrients for healthy brain aging, a brain-fat communication channel, how bone marrow transplants may fight Alzheimer’s disease, and the crisis of underdiagnosed mild cognitive impairment.
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Why “super-agers” have exceptional memories
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Data visualization of a magnetic resonance imaging scan of a human brain. USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute
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Some older people seem to defy the laws of aging. In their 70s, 80s, or beyond, “super-agers” retain the cognitive function of men and women 30 years younger. Two recent studies, examining 119 older individuals from Spain (64 super-agers and 55 age-matched typical older adults over the age of 80) over a span of five years, help explain the cognitive advantage of this unique group.
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In the
first study, published in
The Lancet, researchers discovered that super-agers exhibited greater gray matter volume and slower atrophy in key regions linked to memory compared to typical older adults. In contrast to gray matter, the researchers discovered in their
latest companion study that there was no difference in white matter volume or atrophy between the two groups. Instead, super-agers had better white matter microstructure—essential for the transmission of neural communications.
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“By having two groups that have low levels of Alzheimer’s markers, but striking cognitive differences and striking differences in their brain, then we’re really speaking to a resistance to age-related decline,” said Dr. Bryan Strange in an interview with
The New York Times. Dr. Strange, who led the studies, is a professor of clinical neuroscience at the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
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Interestingly, experts aren’t quite sure what lifestyle choices make super-agers, super. In these studies, super-agers tended to have better self-reported mental health, higher musical background, and were less likely to have a history of glucose disorders and hypertension. Other research has pointed out that super-agers report satisfying, high-quality relationships in their lives. But much about the two groups was similar. Dr. Strange pointed out that there were no differences between the groups in terms of their diets, sleep, professional backgrounds, or even their alcohol and tobacco use.
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The Expert’s Take:
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"Characterizing the brains of super-agers builds on our understanding of factors that influence aging. Garo-Pascual et al. showed that it is not the absolute volume of white matter in the brains of super-agers that makes them exceptional—rather, it is the way that the white matter is organized that may give them a cognitive advantage. Unlike white matter, gray matter volume declined in both groups, but to a lesser extent in super-agers. The maintenance of gray matter integrity may contribute to super-agers' resistance to age-related memory decline."
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Holly Holmes, Ph.D.
Director, Product Development, Elysium Health
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THIS MONTH
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What We’re Reading
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These are third-party articles about science that we find interesting but have no relationship to Elysium or any of our products. Elysium’s products are not intended to screen, diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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Eat these nutrients for healthy brain aging
Nutrition is essential for healthy brain aging, and a new study helps illustrate how—down to the specific nutrients. A team of scientists, led by Aron Barbey, Ph.D., director of the Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, enrolled 100 cognitively healthy participants, aged 65-75, who completed health questionnaires, gave blood plasma to test for nutrient biomarkers, and participated in cognitive assessments and MRI scans. Those who had slower brain aging had a nutrient blood biomarker profile characterized by greater concentrations of 13 key nutrients, including the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and ALA, carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin E, and choline. These nutrients are found abundantly in the Mediterranean diet.
(npj Aging)
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Inter-organ communication regulates NAD+ levels and aging
Researchers have identified a key subpopulation of neurons in the brain’s hypothalamus that communicate with fat tissue to increase physical activity and lifespan in mice. The study was led by Shin-ichiro Imai, M.D., Ph.D., a postdoctoral mentee of Elysium chief scientist
Leonard Guarente, Ph.D., and now a professor of developmental biology and medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Activation of these neurons stimulated fat tissue to secrete NAMPT, a major enzyme in the
NAD+ biosynthesis pathway that catalyzes the synthesis of one of the NAD+ precursors,
nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). The researchers have previously shown that NAMPT secreted by fat tissue enters the circulation and targets specific tissues, including the hypothalamus, hippocampus, pancreas, and retina. Circulating NAMPT promotes NMN/NAD+ synthesis in those target tissues and extends healthspan and lifespan, but currently, there is no evidence suggesting this result can be extrapolated to humans. The findings suggest that manipulating this key inter-tissue communication between the brain and fat tissue could offer new longevity therapies. (Cell Metabolism)
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Young bone marrow reverses aging and Alzheimer’s in mice
The age-related decline of the immune system, or immunosenescence, is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. In a new study, scientists in China transplanted bone marrow from young mice into older Alzheimer's disease model mice, with the hypothesis that stem cells in the marrow would give rise to peripheral immune cells and rejuvenate the aging immune system. The results were impressive: The young bone marrow transplantation reduced neuronal degeneration, amyloid β plaque burden, and neuroinflammation, while improving the behavioral decline observed in the older Alzheimer’s disease model mice.
(Science Advances)
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Mild cognitive impairment is critically underrecognized
People with
mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have more changes to their memory or thinking than other adults their age, but it doesn't affect their ability to perform their day-to-day activities. And MCI is profoundly underdiagnosed, according to two new studies from researchers at USC Dornsife. By analyzing Medicare data, they discovered that of the 8 million people aged 65 and older who are expected to have MCI based on their demographic profile, only 8% were diagnosed—leaving 7.4 million undiagnosed. In a second study, they found that 99% of more than 200,000 primary care physicians included in the study sample had underdiagnosed MCI.
“This study is meant to raise awareness of the problem,” said Soeren Mattke, M.D., D.Sc., director of the Brain Health Observatory at USC Dornsife’s Center for Economic and Social Research, who led the research.
“We want to say, ‘Pay attention to early changes in cognition, and tell your doctor about them. Ask for an evaluation.’” (USC Dornsife)
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TERM OF THE MONTH
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Gray matter
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/ɡreɪ ˈmæt̬.ɚ/
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Gray matter is the darker-colored tissue in the brain and central nervous system, made of neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and synapses. It’s responsible for processing and transmitting information within the brain and it plays a role in various cognitive functions, such as learning, memory, emotion, and decision-making. In contrast, white matter consists of nerve fibers that connect different regions of the brain, allowing for efficient communication and coordination of neural activity. Gray and white matter work together to enable complex brain functions and overall neural communication.
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AGING 101
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A supplement combination that can help preserve cognitive function
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A key to long-term brain health may lie in a simple but powerful combination of nutrients that helps prevent brain atrophy. Read on to find out how 30 years of research led to the development of a unique formulation that can target brain aging. (Read more)
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