Thursday, February 26, 2026 - People in their 80s and 90s who maintain exceptional memory and mental clarity known as “SuperAgers” may hold a biological secret to healthy brain aging.
A new study found that these individuals produce twice as
many young neurons as cognitively healthy older adults and about 2.5 times more
than people living with Alzheimer’s disease.
The findings suggest the aging brain still has the ability
to regenerate itself. Dr. Tamar Gefen, a psychiatry and behavioral sciences
professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said the
research demonstrates that the brain retains remarkable plasticity even later
in life.
Unlike mature neurons, which are stable, young neurons are
highly adaptable. They grow, integrate, and form new connections more easily.
According to Gefen, SuperAgers preserve a greater number of these “immature”
neurons, giving their brains a more youthful quality.
The study also found that SuperAgers have stronger cellular
support systems within the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for
memory. This enriched environment nurtures new neurons and supports
neurogenesis, the process by which new brain cells are born and survive.
Neurogenesis plays a vital role in maintaining cognitive performance as people
age.
Senior author, Orly Lazarov, a neuroscience professor at the
University of Illinois Chicago, noted that SuperAgers actually had more newly
developed neurons than even adults in their 30s and 40s. She described their
neurogenesis profile as a sign of resilience against age-related decline.
Researchers say genetics may play a role, but lifestyle
choices also matter. Dr. Richard Isaacson of the Institute for
Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida, who was not involved in the study,
pointed to evidence that diet, regular exercise, stress reduction, quality
sleep, and managing vascular health can promote brain growth and reduce
hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, including tau tangles and amyloid plaques.
To qualify as a SuperAger, a person must be over 80 and
perform on memory tests at levels comparable to much younger adults. According
to experts, SuperAgers typically excel in episodic memory, the ability to
recall everyday events and personal experiences. Importantly, their cognitive
edge is not simply due to higher intelligence.
Many SuperAgers share personality and lifestyle traits. They
tend to stay mentally engaged by reading or learning new skills, remain
socially active, and often continue working or volunteering well into their
80s. However, researchers emphasize that healthy habits alone do not fully
explain their brain structure.
Brain tissue analysis revealed that SuperAgers have a
thicker cingulate cortex, a region linked to attention and motivation, compared
with people decades younger. Their hippocampus also contains significantly
fewer tau tangles, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, neurons
in the entorhinal cortex, one of the first regions affected by Alzheimer’s,
appeared unusually large and structurally robust.
The study, published in the journal Nature, used a
cutting-edge technique called multiomic single-cell sequencing. This allowed
scientists to examine different cell types across donor brains, including
SuperAgers, younger adults, healthy older adults, and individuals with
dementia.
Results highlighted two cell types as critical to memory
preservation: astrocytes and CA1 neurons. CA1 neurons help store and retrieve
experiences and are typically among the first damaged in Alzheimer’s disease.
Astrocytes, which regulate blood flow and support communication between
neurons, were found to play an enhanced supportive role in SuperAger brains.
Researchers say these findings offer new insight into how
certain brains resist the effects of aging. The coordination between immature
neurons, CA1 circuits, and astrocytes appears to create a rich biological
environment that protects memory and cognitive strength well into advanced age.
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