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Updated: Dec 7, 2025
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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
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Understanding brain resilience in superagers: a systematic review.
Laiz Laura de Godoy1,2, Cesar Augusto Pinheiro Ferreira Alves3, Juan Sebastian Martin Saavedra3
1The National Hospital of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London, London, UK. laizlgodoy@gmail.com.
Neuroradiology
|September 30, 2020
Summary
Superagers, older adults with exceptional memory, show selective cortical preservation, particularly in the anterior cingulate cortex. This highlights distinct brain maintenance pathways contributing to cognitive resilience in aging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Superagers exhibit remarkable memory, defying typical aging decline.
- Understanding their unique biomarkers is key to cognitive aging research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To consolidate evidence on superager biomarkers.
- To explore connections with Brain and Cognitive Reserve and Brain Maintenance.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed and ScienceDirect.
- Inclusion of studies evaluating biomarkers in superagers using validated tests.
- Methodological quality assessed with QUADAS-2.
Main Results:
- Twenty-one studies analyzed, primarily neuroimaging.
- Superagers show preserved anterior cingulate and hippocampus regions.
- Amyloid levels were similar to controls; functional patterns resembled young adults.
Conclusions:
- Selective cortical preservation, especially in the anterior cingulate cortex, characterizes superagers.
- Brain and Cognitive Reserve and Brain Maintenance are distinct yet complementary in superagers.
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