Successful cognitive aging is associated with thicker anterior cingulate cortex and lower tau deposition compared to typical aging.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational comparison of cognitive phenotypes and neuroimaging biomarkers
PubMed 37614157 · doi:10.1002/alz.13438
What was done
The authors examined agreement between four definitions of successful cognitive aging (SA): (1) cognitive age gap (SA-CAG), (2) episodic memory composite scores (SA-EM), (3) non-memory cognition composite scores (SA-NM), and (4) the California Verbal Learning Test (SA-CVLT). They evaluated structural MRI (cortical thickness, hippocampal volume) and PET measures (entorhinal 18F-Flortaucipir tau uptake and amyloid-beta) between SA groups and typical aging (TA) controls.
What was found
Agreement between the four definitions was fair to moderate. Most SA groups showed greater cortical thickness compared to TA, particularly in the anterior cingulate, midcingulate cortices, and medial temporal lobes. Hippocampal volume was greater in all SA groups except SA-NM. Entorhinal tau uptake was lower in all SA groups compared to TA, whereas amyloid-beta was not related to SA. No numerical values, effect sizes, or test statistics were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
The findings indicate that preserved anterior cingulate cortical integrity and resistance to entorhinal tau accumulation are common neural characteristics of successful cognitive aging across multiple operational definitions.
Limits
The abstract does not state the sample size, participant demographics, or exact numerical values and effect sizes. The cross-sectional design precludes establishing longitudinal trajectories or causal mechanisms underlying tau resistance.
Cited by
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- supports In superagers who age slowly, the anterior midcingulate cortex maintains its cortical volume compared to age-matched cohorts.