80 Going on 50: The Secret Behind ‘SuperAger’ Brains

Their name may sound like something out of a Marvel comic, but SuperAgers are the real deal—a rare group of adults over the age of 80 whose brains are winning the battle against Alzheimer’s disease.

Northwestern University researchers claim a 25-year study shows that “unique brain biology” and a gregarious lifestyle can strengthen cognitive function and blunt the onset of dementia. One of the study’s authors described that conclusion as “earth-shattering.”

“Our findings show that exceptional memory in old age is not only possible but is linked to a distinct neurobiological profile,” said Dr. Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “This opens the door to new interventions aimed at preserving brain health well into the later decades of life.”

The study, initiated in 2000, followed 290 participants and examined the donated brains of 77 SuperAgers, a group characterized by “remarkably sharp” memory that rivals people who are 20 to 30 years younger. While some of the postmortem brains revealed telltale signs of Alzheimer’s—the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins a.k.a. plaques and tangles—other tissue samples were clear of those debilitating markers.

SuperAgers’ brains shrink at about half the rate of typical seniors and show significantly less thinning in the brain’s outer layer, the cortex, compared to Alzheimer’s-addled peers. In some cases, the anterior cingulate cortex—the region associated with decision-making and emotion—is thicker in SuperAgers than it is in people in their 50s and 60s.

“What we realized is there are two mechanisms that lead someone to become a SuperAger,” Weintraub said. “One is resistance: They don’t make the plaques and tangles. Two is resilience: They make them, but they don’t do anything to their brains.”

A common trait among SuperAgers has nothing to do with the brain’s physical makeup and everything to do with personality. One of the study’s key points is that all of these seniors tend to be “very social and mentally engaged.”