So much for not teaching an old dog new tricks.Research has shownthatsome older people stay sharp into old age and retain the ability to recallpersonal experiences with just as much accuracy as their middle-aged peers. Thebrains of these so-called "super-agers" look distinct, too: Their gray-matter-rich outer layer, or cortex, is thicker.For a new18-month study, the results of which were published April 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers investigated whether thesekeen individuals simply start out with bigger brains or if, instead, theyare somehow protected fromtime's slowerosion of thebrain's gray matter.Theresearchers screened more than 1,000 people, less than 5% of whomqualified as bona-fide super-agers. They then compared the brains of those 24 men and women (all of whom were over 80 years old) to the brainsof 12similarly-aged "cognitively average" adults using MRI technology.It turns out the super-ager brains maynot initially be any bigger ormore robust. Instead, theresearchers discovered that the brains of the average study participants wereatrophying at more than twice the rate ofthe super-agers' brains over the 18-month study window. Thenew paper therefore suggests that theserare individuals are shielded from the normal age-related atrophy process that wears away the neuron-dense outer layer of our brains.This finding adds an important new piece to the puzzle of what makes a super-ager ' and provides some insight intohow age affects thebrains of regular people,too.How to protect anaging brainAs we age, our brain's gray matter ' the stuff we rely on forseeing,hearing,processing emotions, exerting self-control,learning new information, and more' shrinks and degrades. So too does our brain's white matter, whichcontains the complex web of twisting fibers (wiring, essentially) that carries information across different parts of the brain.Interestingly, a small 2014 study published in the journal Nature Communications suggested that in some older people,white matter mayact as a sort ofbackup generatorthat canfire up when gray matter reserves rundown.Ifthat doesn't happen, however, peopleexperience the typical effects of aging 'fuzzier memory, a harder time paying attention, and difficulty learning new skills.Super-agers and people gifted withextra-flexible white matter are rare, butsome researchsuggests there are things the average personcan do to stay keen with age as well. These includegetting regularexercise, maintaining strong bonds with friends or family, quitting or not starting smoking, and learning new things or beingintellectually challenged. So if you've been meaning to meet up with some old friends or havebeen putting off joining that yoga studio, there's no time like the present.SEE ALSO:Betsy DeVos backs a technique claiming to cure ADHD without medication ' but the science is questionableDON'T MISS:This psychedelic drug seems to affect the brain in ways that are surprisingly similar to meditationJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: A neuroscientist explains what happens to your brain when you get a 'runner's high
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