The Dutch centenarian Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper astonished scientific researchers both in life and in death: When they performed cognitive and psychological tests on her at the age of 113, they found that her mind performed better than most 60-75 year olds. A subsequent autopsy of her 115 year-old brain in 2005 revealed that it was completely free of any dementia-related diseases associated with “old age.” “I think what people call ‘brain aging,’ doesn’t exist as such,” said Dr.


Cyrus Raji, an assistant professor of radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who points to Andel-Schipper as an example. “Brain aging is an artifact of the pathologies that accumulate throughout life.” Raji’s statement is provocative, but his point is that lifestyle and life


events are major contributors to our brain health. Andel-Schipper used to joke that she managed to stay healthy at such an advanced age because she ate herring every day and drank limited amounts of alcohol—usually a glass on Sundays and holidays. The doctor also points to Andel- Schipper’s active lifestyle as a major contributor to her healthy brain, or her “cognitive health.” She walked several miles a day for much of her life. Like a lot of Dutch people, she biked everywhere and never owned a car. Because Andel-Schipper had donated her body to science, researchers subsequently found that her genetic makeup also helped.


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