Home › Research › Digital health tools
Brain structure and phenotypic profile of superagers compared with age-matched older adults: a longitudinal analysis from the Vallecas Project
Garo-Pascual M, Gaser C, Zhang L, Tohka J, Medina M, Strange BA.. The lancet. Healthy longevity, 2023-07-13
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
We aimed to characterise the brain structure of superagers and identify demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors associated with this phenotype. A machine learning classification including 89 demographic, lifestyle, and clinical predictors showed that faster movement speed (despite no group differences in exercise frequency) and better mental health were the most differentiating factors for superagers. Similar concentrations of dementia blood biomarkers in superager and typical older adult groups suggest that group differences reflect inherent superager resistance to typical age-related memory loss. Interpretation Factors associated with dementia prevention are also relevant for resistance to age-related memory decline and brain atrophy, and the association between superageing and movement speed could provide potential novel insights into how to preserve memory function into the ninth decade.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Garo-Pascual, M., Gaser, C., Zhang, L., Tohka, J., Medina, M., & Strange, B. A. (2023). Brain structure and phenotypic profile of superagers compared with age-matched older adults: a longitudinal analysis from the Vallecas Project. The lancet. Healthy longevity. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00079-x
Vancouver
Garo-Pascual M, Gaser C, Zhang L, Tohka J, Medina M, Strange BA. Brain structure and phenotypic profile of superagers compared with age-matched older adults: a longitudinal analysis from the Vallecas Project. The lancet. Healthy longevity. 2023. doi:10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00079-x. PMID: 37454673.
BibTeX
@article{garopascual2023-37454673,
author = {Garo-Pascual, M. and Gaser, C. and Zhang, L. and Tohka, J. and Medina, M. and Strange, B. A.},
title = {{Brain structure and phenotypic profile of superagers compared with age-matched older adults: a longitudinal analysis from the Vallecas Project}},
journal = {The lancet. Healthy longevity},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00079-x},
pmid = {37454673},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00079-x}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- We aimed to characterise the brain structure of superagers and identify demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors associated with this phenotype.
- A machine learning classification including 89 demographic, lifestyle, and clinical predictors showed that faster movement speed (despite no group differences in exercise frequency) and better mental health were the most differentiating factors for superagers.
- Similar concentrations of dementia blood biomarkers in superager and typical older adult groups suggest that group differences reflect inherent superager resistance to typical age-related memory loss.
- Interpretation Factors associated with dementia prevention are also relevant for resistance to age-related memory decline and brain atrophy, and the association between superageing and movement speed could provide potential novel insights into how to preserve memory function into the ninth decade.
Why it matters
This longitudinal study compared 'superagers' with typical older adults and found that faster movement speed and better mental health were the most differentiating factors, with similar dementia blood biomarker levels in both groups. The authors suggest factors linked to dementia prevention may also relate to resistance to age-related memory decline, but this is an observational finding, not a proven intervention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Digital health →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants64
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 61/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The lancet. Healthy longevity) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | The Lancet Healthy Longevity: journal h-index 78 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 64 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 72 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.4 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 69 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Bryan Andrew Strange: h-index 39 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid: institution h-index 709 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 9 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 37454673) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 61 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00079-x
- PubMed: 37454673
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Lancet Healthy Longevity →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
2 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Digital health tools
Also tagged “cognitive-function”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cognitive-function”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,118 tagged studies.