You have likely come across people in your life who seem sharp as a tack, despite being in their 80’s or 90’s.  They can recall details from memories quickly, maintain cognitive flexibility and their mind seems to move fast while many of their friends are rapidly declining in cognitive function.

 

These folks have recently been coined Super-Agers and are described as individuals over the age of 80 who maintain cognitive abilities compared to those of people decades younger.

 

What do we know about SuperAgers?

 

Research on cognitive impairment is not new, however research on older adults with superior cognitive function is much more scarce with the majority of academic interest within the last couple decades.

 

What we know so far is that SuperAgers have a brain structure that is significantly different from those of cognitively normal 80 and 90 year olds.

 

SuperAgers have been found to have a thicker cortex (outer layer of the brain), greater volume in memory areas, higher neuron density and preserved white matter.

 

How do we become a SuperAgers? 

 

SuperAgers are less likely to carry the APOE-E4 allele so there may be a genetic component.

 

However some of the same modifiable lifestyle factors that are known to contribute to improved cognitive health such as regular exercise, moderate alcohol consumption, smoking cessation and high social activity engagement for example are likely at play in SuperAgers.

 

A recent report indicated lifestyle factors could delay up to 40% of all dementia diagnoses.

 

Lifestyle factors are clearly important for brain health and brain aging.

 

However a recent systematic review of the current literature did not draw any clear conclusions on what specific lifestyle factors are associated with SuperAger status.  This was due to a scarcity of studies and large difference in how the research was conducted, a reflection of the early state of SuperAger research.

 

 

aMCC may be a central brain structure in SuperAging

 

One particular area of the brain called the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) has been consistently found to be thicker in SuperAgers and has drawn significant attention due to it’s multifaceted role as a hub for integrating cognitive, emotional and motor (movement) processes.

 

 

The aMCC acts like a control center in the brain, analysing the cost and benefits of an action and helping process how our body feels, makes plans and decides what to pay attention to.

 

The aMCC plays a role in tenacity, willpower and perseverance.  When this area of the brain is electrically stimulated there is a simultaneous feeling of an imminent mental or physical challenge with a determined attitude to overcome it.

 

Best selling author Angela Duckworth calls this feeling “grit”.  From a cognitive perspective grit can be thought of as a consistent way of using unpleasant feelings of a challenge as fuel to push on rather than backing off.

 

And just like muscles adapt to stimulation, the brain can also adapt to stimulation; more broadly called neural plasticity.

 

How can you stimulate your aMCC to increase your odds of becoming a Superager?

 

In short, regularly engage in strenuous and challenging physical and mental activity.

 

This is more than just continuing to do what you’ve always done.  If you’ve always been a runner and you are just going through the motions of continuing to run recreationally that’s not going to cut it.  If you’ve always been a reader and you continue to read the same type of books, again that’s not going to create the unpleasant cognitive state required for neural plasticity.

 

You have to get outside your comfort zone and push yourself mentally and physically.

 

Reach beyond just reading the news daily or doing a Sudoku.  Learn a new skil, solve complex problems or engage in an activity that scares you or is completely new to you.  Really make yourself uncomfortable.  Learning a new language or a new instrument, taking a course, and starting a complex new hobby can all stimulate the aMCC.

 

When it comes to exercise, movement stimulates the aMCC, especially when it involves overcoming resistance or discomfort.

 

Make your exercise strenuous, adventurous and maybe even social.

 

Find simple movements your body tolerates well and push hard.  Push past the point of unpleasantness, spend time in the “pain cave” and endure the discomfort.  This could be on a piece of cardio machine like a rower or with a bodyweight hold challenge like a wall squat or a plank or dead hang.

 

Work on building your strength for a one repetition maximum lift (squat or deadlift for example) or max repetition goal (pull ups for example) and set a goal to build beyond what you thought was possible for yourself.

 

Or take up a new sport or activity entirely.  Learn the nuances of curling, pickleball or martial arts.  Schedule to climb a mountain on a different continent and spend the year hiking and rucking local trails.

 

When it comes to physical challenges and training that cultivate grit there are endless options.

 

Andrew Huberman states one the main reasons he does a cold plunge daily is because he doesn’t like it and by forcing himself to do something he doesn’t like he’s training grit.  He also, of course, believes in some of the other short term cognitive benefits of cold plunging as well.

 

There are no rules on must do physical challenges to train grit and stimulate the aMCC.  But you have to resist the desire to gravitate towards easy and comfortable.

 

Pick a domain you are willing to spend time in and you think your body may be able to tolerate well.  Set a hard goal.  Get to work training hard to accomplish that goal.

 

And if you fail to achieve your goal in the process, know that it is the ongoing pursuit of those challenges that matter more than the outcome.

 

Don’t know where to start?  Hire a coach or join a group that can help craft your plan and keep you on track.

 

And when things get tough, just know that’s where the SuperAging sweet spot lives.  Embrace that feeling and expand your comfort zone!