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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1814400
Amyloid burden, brain metabolism, and gray matter volume in SuperAgers
Autor*innen
Funding The present work was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), under reference number 2016/25000-1.
Abstract
Background
SuperAgers (SA) are adults aged ≥ 80 years with memory equivalent to individuals 20 to 30 years younger. Few studies have evaluated multimodal neuroimaging approach in the same SA cohort.
Objective
To investigate neurobiological mechanisms underlying exceptional cognitive aging by evaluating cortical amyloid deposition, regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rBGM), and gray matter volume (GMV), and their associations with neuropsychological performance and subjective cognitive decline (SCD).
Methods
The participants were classified as SA (n = 11), age-matched healthy controls (HC80; n = 23), and healthy controls aged 60 to 69 years (HC60; n = 23). Positron-emission tomography (PET) using 11C-PIB and 18F-FDG were analyzed using semiquantitative three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection (3D-SSP), with group comparisons using Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 (SPM8).
Results
The median ages were 81 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 5.0) for SA, 83 years (IQR = 5.0) for HC80, and 66 years (IQR = 3.0) for HC60. All groups had a median of 16 years of schooling (IQR for SA = 7, for HC80 and HC60 = 5). There were 4 PIB-PET positive individuals (36.4%) in the SA group, which is similar to the HC80 group (40.9%). Also, 6 SA had SCD, with 3 being PIB-positive. In SA, composite SUVr predicted RAVLT delayed recall (β = −0.666, p = 0.011, adjusted R2 = 0.748), controlling for age, sex, and schooling. Compared to HC80, the SA group showed increased metabolism in the anterior cingulate gyrus and caudate, as well as increased GMV in the putamen.
Conclusion
The SA group exhibited similar amyloid burden to HC80, yet amyloid deposition specifically impaired their memory. Increased rBGM and GMV in the salience network and striatum suggest these regions support successful cognitive aging.
Authors' Contributions
Conceptualization: ASN, OJ, MSY, CCL, SMDB, CAB, RN; Data curation: ASN, NCM, RRS, JBP, RN; Formal analysis: ASN, AMC, CGC, MRA, CRO, MSP, DPF, RN; Writing - original draft: ASN; Writing - review & editing: AMC, CGC, MRA, CRO, MSP, DPF, NCM, RRS, JBP, OJ, MSY, CCL, SMDB, CAB, RN.
Data Availability Statement
Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author.
Editor-in-Chief: Hélio A. G. Teive (ORCID: 0000-0003-2305-1073).
Associate Editor: Leonardo Cruz de Souza (ORCID: 0000-0001-5027-9722).
Publikationsverlauf
Eingereicht: 03. Mai 2025
Angenommen: 16. Oktober 2025
Artikel online veröffentlicht:
04. Februar 2026
© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thieme Revinter Publicações Ltda.
Rua Rego Freitas, 175, loja 1, República, São Paulo, SP, CEP 01220-010, Brazil
Adalberto Studart-Neto, Artur Martins Coutinho, Camila de Godoi Carneiro, Natália Cristina Moraes, Jacy Bezerra Parmera, Milena Sales Pitombeira, Daniele de Paula Faria, Raphael Ribeiro Spera, Mateus Rozalem Aranha, Carla Rachel Ono, Omar Jaluul, Mônica Sanches Yassuda, Claudia da Costa Leite, Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki, Carlos Alberto Buchpiguel, Ricardo Nitrini. Amyloid burden, brain metabolism, and gray matter volume in SuperAgers. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2026; 84: s00451814400.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1814400
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