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Staying sharp as a tack past 80

Posted at 11:33 AM, Apr 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-05 11:33:54-04

"Superagers" have captivated researchers for years. What are Superagers? The fortunate few whose minds remain as sharp as when they were 20 years younger, only they are 80 years old.

So what is their secret? Researchers at Northwestern might have at least part of the answer. A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says the brains of Superagers tend to show smaller decreases in volume than that of the average elderly person - a finding that may explain their maintained mental abilities.

Researchers also found that the person's education level is not a factor and also that three in four of the Superagers were women.