New study shows that centenarians can remain cognitively healthy

New research published in 2021 shows that people who are cognitively healthy by the time they reach 100 years tend to maintain their faculties for at least a few more years. This was true even if their brains had started forming abnormal structures that kill cells and interfere with neuron function. The study was publicized by researchers from Vrije University in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It involved more than 330 centenarians who were cognitively healthy and living in the community. About three-quarters of the participants were female and half lived independently without the support of a caregiver. The majority could see and hear well and were also mobile. Not surprisingly, the attrition rate was very high, with about half of the enrolled centenarians dropping out or dying within their first year. Researchers used the baseline MMSE score to measure centenarians’ cognitive ability. MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) is a widely used test for cognitive function among the elderly. It assesses attention, memory, orientation, language, and visual-spatial skills. The maximum score possible is 25-30 points, which implies normal cognition. A score between 20 and 24 indicates mild dementia while 13-20 suggests moderate dementia. Any score below 12 points suggests severe dementia. Regardless of the participants’ MMSE score, researchers found no change in verbal fluency, executive function, processing speed, and visual-spatial abilities in the whole group over the next 19 months. The segment of centenarians who scored 26 or better in the MMSE test stayed just as cognitively sharp over the next 24 months. This group also outperformed other participants on every cognitive domain but notably suffered the same rate of memory loss as everyone else. Nearly 30 percent of the study participants chose to donate their brains after death, further helping researchers to understand resilience and risk factors. The majority of those who had an autopsy after passing away had brain plaques and tangles, but these didn’t seem to have any significant impact on cognitive abilities. The risk of dementia adds up to about 40% (each year) for centenarians. But participants in this particular study seemed to be very resilient to age as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. “Dementia is not inevitable at extreme ages, which may be explained by resilience against Alzheimer’s hallmarks and risk factors,” said Henne Holstege, one of the lead researchers. Genes that are known to increase the risk of cognitive decline also didn’t seem to have any influence on centenarians. This led to the conclusion that their effects play out before the age of 100 years. Cognitive decline is among the biggest challenges affecting the world’s oldest inhabitants. The findings of this study offer hope that it may be possible to live out your sunset years in decent cognitive health.