‘Superagers’ key to dementia

PEOPLE who stay sharp into their 80s and do not develop dementia have bigger brain cells, research suggests.

Scientists looked at octogenarian “superagers”, who can recall events as clearly as they could in their 20s.

Superagers tend to be born with larger cells in the entorhinal cortex region of the brain, which is hit early by dementia, and seem to be better at avoiding protein tangles that are a hallmark of the disease, scientists said.

Dr Tamar Gefen, of Northwestern University, Chicago, said further research may help tackle Alzheimer’s.

She said: “To understand how and why people may be resistant to developing Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to closely investigate the postmortem brains of superagers.”