Super Aging Protective Factors – KnowNeuropsychology

These learning questions are brought to you by KnowNeuropsychology & the Association for Doctoral Education in Clinical Neuropsychology (ADECN).

*This quiz has 5 multiple-choice questions.

1 / 5

The SuperAging Research Initiative operationally defines a “superager” as a community-dwelling individual ≥ 80 years whose neuropsychological performance meets which of the following criteria on standardized testing?

Delayed recall on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) ≥ 9 words and performance in all other domains ≥ 1.5 SD above age-matched norms.

Delayed recall on the RAVLT at least as high as the mean for 50–60-year-olds and performance in other cognitive domains at least average for age.

Immediate recall on the California Verbal Learning Test within the superior range and executive scores ≥ average for individuals aged 60–70 years.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) ≥ 28 with no domain scores below the 50th percentile for 80-year-olds.

Performance on any single episodic-memory measure at or above the 90th percentile for 80-year-old norms and Global Deterioration Scale ≤ 1.

2 / 5

High-resolution structural MRI in superagers has demonstrated which most characteristic cortical signature when compared with cognitively average peers aged 80 + years?

Global sparing of cortical thickness but prominent thinning of the anterior insula.

Widespread cortical thinning with focal hypertrophy of medial temporal regions.

Preservation of whole-brain cortical thickness with relative hypertrophy of the anterior cingulate cortex.

Increased subcortical volumes (caudate, putamen) with unchanged cortical metrics.

Cortical thickness comparable to 80 + controls but significantly greater white-matter hyperintensity burden.

3 / 5

Post-mortem quantitative histology of the anterior cingulate cortex in confirmed superagers has revealed a four- to five-fold higher density of which specialized neuron type—thought to underpin rapid socio-emotional integration—relative to age-matched controls?

Betz (giant corticospinal) cells

Von Economo (“spindle”) neurons

Granule cells of layer IV

Mirror neurons of inferior parietal lobule

Chandelier (axo-axonic) interneurons

4 / 5

When polygenic hazard scores (PHS) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are computed in superagers, the pattern most consistent with published data is:

PHS markedly lower than cognitively average 80 + controls, enabling accurate discrimination of superagers on genetic grounds alone.

PHS indistinguishable from pathologically confirmed AD cases, suggesting resistance despite high genetic risk.

PHS overlapping almost completely with cognitively average 80 + controls, indicating “ordinary” AD genetic risk that does not by itself predict the superaging phenotype.

PHS substantially higher than both controls and AD cases, consistent with antagonistic pleiotropy.

PHS lower than controls only in APOE ε2 carriers but higher in ε4 carriers.

5 / 5

Relative to cognitively average elders, superagers differ most robustly on which psychosocial or health-behavior variable documented in the SuperAging cohort?

Lower lifetime prevalence of tobacco use.

Lower total number of prescription medications (“polypharmacy”).

Significantly lower white-matter hyperintensity burden.

Stronger self-reported social connectedness and engagement.

Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet since midlife.

Your score is

Emily Rogalski, Ph.D.