SuperAgers are people aged 80 and older who have memory and thinking abilities similar to people 20 to 30 years younger. The term was first introduced by Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam of Northwestern University, who began studying these rare individuals in the late 1990s. Since 2000, the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease has tracked nearly 300 participants, testing their memory, analyzing their medical histories, and even studying donated brain tissue to understand what makes them different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be classified as a SuperAger, a person must score within the normal range on standard cognitive tests and recall at least nine out of fifteen words on a delayed verbal learning test. Most adults in their eighties cannot meet this standard, as it is usually achieved by those in their fifties and sixties. \u201cSuperAgers are defined by their outstanding memory capacity,\u201d explained Dr. Tamar Gefen, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern. \u201cThey defy the normal trajectories of aging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most surprising findings is that SuperAgers do not always live conventionally healthy lifestyles. Some exercise regularly, eat balanced diets, and sleep well. Others admit to smoking, drinking heavily, or maintaining inconsistent sleep schedules. One participant humorously said of his nightly routine, \u201cI drink four beers every night. Maybe it\u2019s done me wrong, but I\u2019ll never know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these differences, researchers discovered two common traits: sociability and independence. SuperAgers consistently rated their social connections highly and were far more likely to stay engaged with friends, family, and community groups. \u201cOne key trait of SuperAgers is that they seem to be highly social people. They value connection and are often active in their communities,\u201d Gefen said. Another strong pattern was their insistence on living independently. They made their own decisions and maintained autonomy in daily life. \u201cI feel very strongly that successful aging is not just about sociability,\u201d Gefen explained. \u201cIf a person feels trapped, tethered, or burdened, especially in a vulnerable state like poor health or older age, I think it can encroach on their entire psychosocial being.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Participants themselves echo this belief. Sel Yackley, an 85-year-old in the program, said, \u201cTake good care of your health and eat right and be sociable. We are going to be role models for other people who are getting older.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The brains of SuperAgers hold some of the most fascinating clues. Normally, the cerebral cortex thins as people age, leading to problems with memory, reasoning, and decision-making. But scans of SuperAgers\u2019 brains reveal that their cortex stays much thicker. This is especially true in the anterior cingulate cortex, which controls decision-making, motivation, and social behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SuperAgers also have larger, healthier entorhinal neurons, which are vital for memory and learning. Gefen described them as \u201chumongous, plump, intact, beautiful, gigantic entorhinal cortex neurons.\u201d These neurons were often healthier than those in people decades younger, suggesting that structural resilience plays a critical role. Another striking feature is their abundance of von Economo neurons, specialized cells linked to social skills. \u201cThey were packed in there like sardines,\u201d Gefen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even when plaques and tangles appeared, the brain tissue of SuperAgers resisted damage. \u201cWhat we realized is there are two mechanisms that lead someone to become a SuperAger,\u201d explained Dr. Sandra Weintraub, another Northwestern researcher. \u201cOne is resistance: they don\u2019t make the plaques and tangles. Two is resilience: they make them, but they don\u2019t do anything to their brains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another key difference is the immune activity in their brains. Compared to their peers, SuperAgers had fewer activated microglia, the cells that normally fight disease but can also cause inflammation and damage when they become overactive. In fact, their levels of microglia were more similar to people in their thirties and forties. This could mean their immune systems are more adaptive and efficient at protecting brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SuperAgers are far less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer\u2019s disease. In studies, they were shown to have three times fewer tau tangles in their hippocampus compared to others their age. Tau tangles are one of the most destructive hallmarks of Alzheimer\u2019s, yet in SuperAgers, they either developed very slowly or failed to affect memory performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Cari Levy, a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Colorado, said these results are encouraging. \u201cIt suggests the accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins doesn\u2019t always lead to dementia,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientists hope that studying SuperAgers will unlock ways to prevent or delay cognitive decline for others. The Northwestern team is now exploring the genetics of SuperAgers to determine whether protective factors exist at the molecular level. \u201cOur guess is that they are probably born with these kinds of structural protections,\u201d Gefen admitted. \u201cBut we\u2019re now going really deep into the molecular mechanisms of the cell in order to figure out what is keeping that cell strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lifestyle choices may not guarantee SuperAger status, but experts still recommend healthy habits. Dr. Levy emphasized daily activity, a plant-based diet, good sleep, and mentally stimulating hobbies like writing, music, or theater. Gefen also stressed the importance of finding connection and purpose. \u201cYou don\u2019t see a lot of detached SuperAgers,\u201d she observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the participants themselves, the message is simple. \u201cI think it\u2019s partly your determination to live a long life and your activities that enable you to do so,\u201d said Yackley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SuperAging Program has already autopsied nearly 80 donated brains, which continues to fuel discoveries about resistance, resilience, and the unique traits that keep these older adults sharp. Dr. Gefen called these donations \u201ca kind of scientific immortality,\u201d as they allow scientists to study the brain long after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though rare, SuperAgers prove that cognitive decline is not an unavoidable part of aging. Their resilience, sociability, and striking brain structures are teaching researchers how memory and thinking can remain vibrant deep into old age. As Weintraub summarized, \u201cOur findings show that exceptional memory in old age is not only possible but is linked to a distinct neurobiological profile. This opens the door to new interventions aimed at preserving brain health well into the later decades of life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SuperAgers are people aged 80 and older who have memory and thinking abilities similar to people 20 to 30 years younger. The term was first introduced by Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam of Northwestern University, who began studying these rare individuals in the late 1990s. Since 2000, the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease has tracked nearly 300 participants, testing their memory, analyzing their medical histories, and even studying donated brain tissue to understand what makes them different. To […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-aging","category-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7040"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7043,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7040\/revisions\/7043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}