100-plus

About one third of people aged older than 85 suffer from the symptoms associated with dementia. Currently, there is no cure that stops or delays the neurodegenerative processes. Although increasing age is the strongest predictive factor for cognitive decline and dementia, it is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Some people develop AD at 60, while others live to be over 110 years in great mental health. How can human neurons, which do not or rarely divide after birth, remain functionally competent for more than 100 years? To find factors that play a role in neuroprotection, we are building a cohort of cognitively healthy centenarians (CHCs). We aim to included at least 500 CHCs and since the start in 2013, more than 200 CHCs have been included. Investigation of environmental factors and sibling longevity already suggests the presence of a strong heritable component to this phenotype. Our goal is to find the responsible genes and biological processes. To this end, several subprojects are underway, investigating the genome, the brain proteome (30% of the CHCs agree to post mortem brain donation), brain atrophy using PET-MRI imaging, somatic mutations and blood composition, immune system activity and the blood metabolome.