Abstract
The objective: Memory SuperAgers (SA) are defined as persons aged 80 or older whose delayed recall in a word list task is on the mean level of 60-years old or better. Main aim of this study is to examine whether cognitive performance of SA is within norms for 60-years old in other domains.
Methods: The sample included 103 cognitively healthy (MMSE = 26.91 +-2.01) older persons aged 80-101 years old (M = 86.52 +-5.00); 63 females; 62 persons with higher education). Participants underwent neuropsychological assessment: Philadelphia Verbal Learning Test (PVLT), Trail Making Test: Part B (TMT-B), Category fluency (CF-Animals, CF-Vegetable), Prague Stroop Test: Dots (PST-D), Words (PST-W), Colours (PST-C), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and Boston Naming Test (BNT-30).
SA were those, who recalled 9 or more words in delayed recall in PVLT, which is a mean for age group 60-64 years. Moreover, their performance on non-memory task (BNT-30, TMT-B, CF-Animals) wat better than -1SD for their age group.
Independent samples t-tests and ANCOVA (age as covariate) were performed to compare SA to non-SA group in measures not included in the SA definition. Further, we compared their performance in those tests with the norms for 60 years old.
Results and conclusion: We identified 19 SA (15 females, 11 with higher education) and 84 non-SA. SA had significantly better performance than non-SA in DSST, PST-D, PST-W, PST-C, and CF-Vegetable (all p<0.05).
After controlling for age only PST-D and CF-Vegetable remained significant (p<0.05). However, mean performance of SA in all PSTs, DSST, and CF-Vegetable was on the level of 60 y.o. and significantly differed from non-SA (all p<0.05).
We may conclude that SA are not only superior in their memory, but their other cognitive functions, especially processing speed, are within norms for 60-years old.