BBC News (UK) (9/14) reports that according to a new study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, memory deterioration “is not an inevitable part of aging” as “a unique group of adults in their 60s and 70s,” so-called “‘super agers,’ performed just as well on memory tests as ‘youngsters’ a third of their age.”

According to brain scans of the elderly group, “several parts of the brain’s memory machinery – including the anterior insula and orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus – appeared thicker and healthier than normal for people of their age.”

The study’s authors say the findings “could ultimately help with understanding the processes that lead to dementia and if there are ways to avoid them.”

Related Links:

— “‘Super agers’ offer clue to keeping a sharp memory,” BBC News, September 14, 2016.

The Huffington Post (9/14) reports the researchers who examined “brains of several older adults with remarkable memory performance” found that these so-called “super agers had brains with areas important for memory that did not show the typical shrinkage seen in most older adults.”

In fact, brain scans “comparing super agers with typical older adults and young adults revealed that some brain areas remained youthful and thick in super agers,” including “the default mode network, which is involved in learning and remembering, and the salience network, involved in identifying important information that needs attention.”

Related Links:

— “Researchers Would Love To Know Why Some Older People Have Such Excellent Memories,” Bahar Gholipour, Huffington Post, September 14, 2016.

HealthDay (9/13, Preidt) reports, “Patients seeking help for mental health problems wait hours longer in the emergency department than other patients do,” researchers found after examining data “from more than 200,000” ED visits in the US that occurred “between 2002 and 2011.” The findings were published in the September issue of Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Psychiatric Patients Face Longer Waits in ER,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 13, 2016.

Kaiser Health News (9/13, Gold) reports, “Schools do not all screen students for mental health issues, and the practice varies widely” depending upon states. But even when children are screened, “many areas lack the community-based mental health treatment options that would be needed to help them.”

Despite the fact that two years ago, “the federal government announced $48 million in new grants to support teachers, schools and communities in recognizing and responding to mental health issues,” mental health issues “continue to go unidentified and untreated” in many school-age kids.

Related Links:

— “Parents Often Battle To Get Their Children Mental Health Services At School,” Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News, September 13, 2016.

Healio (9/12, Oldt) reported, “College students who experienced childhood bullying and victimization were more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety and” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), researchers found after surveying “482 undergraduate students about their childhood bullying experiences and current psychological functioning.” The findings were published online Aug. 16 in Social Psychology of Education.

Related Links:

— “Childhood bullying predicts depression, anxiety, PTSD in young adulthood,” Healio, September 12, 2016.