Amyloid burden, brain metabolism, and gray matter volume in SuperAgers.

SuperAgers had a similar rate of amyloid positivity on PIB-PET as age-matched healthy controls.

• 4 out of 11 SuperAgers (36.4%) were PIB-PET positive.
• The HC80 group had a similar positivity rate of 40.9%.
• SuperAgers were defined as adults aged ≥80 years with memory equivalent to individuals 20 to 30 years younger.
• Median age for SuperAgers was 81 years (IQR = 5.0) and for HC80 was 83 years (IQR = 5.0).

Amyloid burden (composite SUVr) significantly predicted delayed memory recall in SuperAgers.

• Composite SUVr predicted RAVLT delayed recall (β = -0.666, p = 0.011, adjusted R² = 0.748).
• The model controlled for age, sex, and schooling.
• 6 SuperAgers had subjective cognitive decline (SCD), with 3 of those being PIB-positive.
• The negative beta coefficient indicates that higher amyloid burden was associated with worse delayed recall performance.

Compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC80), SuperAgers showed increased regional cerebral glucose metabolism in the anterior cingulate gyrus and caudate.

• Group comparisons were performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 (SPM8).
• PET imaging used 18F-FDG analyzed via semiquantitative three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection (3D-SSP).
• The anterior cingulate gyrus and caudate are regions associated with the salience network and striatum, respectively.
• These differences were observed relative to HC80 (n = 23), not HC60.

Compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC80), SuperAgers showed increased gray matter volume in the putamen.

• Gray matter volume (GMV) analysis was included as part of a multimodal neuroimaging approach.
• The putamen is a striatal structure implicated in motor and cognitive functions.
• This finding was specific to the comparison between SA (n = 11) and HC80 (n = 23).
• All groups had a median of 16 years of schooling (IQR for SA = 7, for HC80 and HC60 = 5).

The study employed a multimodal neuroimaging approach combining amyloid PET, FDG-PET, and structural MRI in the same SuperAger cohort.

• Positron-emission tomography using both 11C-PIB (amyloid) and 18F-FDG (metabolism) were analyzed.
• Three participant groups were studied: SuperAgers (n = 11), age-matched healthy controls (HC80; n = 23), and younger healthy controls aged 60–69 years (HC60; n = 23).
• Imaging was analyzed using semiquantitative 3D-SSP with SPM8 for group comparisons.
• The authors noted that few prior studies have evaluated a multimodal neuroimaging approach in the same SuperAger cohort.