Why Do Some Brains Stay Young? What SuperAgers can teach us. With Dr. Emily Rogalski

Today’s guest is Dr. Emily Rogalski, the Rosalind Franklin Professor of Neurology and the Director of the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Care (HAARC) Center, both at the University of Chicago. She is a clinical and cognitive neuroscientist researching aging, Alzheimer’s, and related dementias. 

Here’s the question we explore today: 

Why do some people maintain extraordinary memory well into their 80s and 90s, while others experience cognitive decline much earlier?

Why do some resist dementia and others not so much? 

Dr. Emily Rogalski studies Superagers, adults in their 80s and beyond who have memory abilities comparable to people decades younger. She and her colleagues are studying them to understand what makes their brains so remarkable.

What can these exceptional agers teach us about our own brain health? How much comes down to genetics, how much might be influenced by lifestyle, and what can we do today to give ourselves the best chance of aging well?

This discussion is rich with fascinating science and lot’s of practical information you can use.

She describes the difference between normal forgetfulness and dementia, new developments in Alzheimer's biomarkers, and the surprising clues researchers are finding in everything from brain structure to social connection to lifelong learning.

And while there isn't a magic formula for keeping our brains young, this conversation offers a hopeful new perspective on what it means to age well.

NEXT...

Check out the new book gleaned from Untangle. The Questions that make a Life, by Patricia Karpas. It includes quotes, prompts and reflections gathered from the last 10 years of Untangle interviews. It’s part book, part journal, One testimonial calls it "A wise, warm, and deeply human companion for anyone navigating the messiness of life." It’s available on amazon or here's a link to a faster way to order:

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For more on Dr. Emily Rogalski, go to https://neurology.uchicago.edu/faculty/emily-joy-rogalski-miller

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