After 25 years of meticulous research, scientists at Northwestern University in the United States have uncovered why certain adults can live into their 80s and beyond while maintaining near-perfect cognition. These remarkable individuals, known as ‘super-agers’, are aged 80 or older, yet their memory performance rivals that of adults in their 50s and 60s.
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Since 2000, researchers have studied 290 super-agers and conducted autopsies on 77 of their brains to understand what protects them from cognitive decline. The team identified personality traits more common among super-agers than the general population. These individuals tend to be highly social and report strong, supportive interpersonal relationships.
However, the most striking discoveries lie within their brains. Dr Sandra Weintraub, professor of psychiatry, behavioural sciences, and neurology at Northwestern, noted: “It’s really what we’ve found in their brains that’s been so earth-shattering for us.”
Some super-agers’ brains contained amyloid and tau proteins—plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease—while others did not. Remarkably, none of the brains showed the typical damage these proteins usually cause.
Dr Weintraub explained: “There are two mechanisms that lead someone to become a super-ager. One is resistance: they don’t produce the plaques and tangles. The other is resilience: they do produce them, but their brains remain unaffected.”
Beyond protein markers, super-agers’ brains retained a youthful structure. While normal ageing typically thins the cortex, these individuals maintained thickness, particularly in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region crucial for decision-making, emotion, and motivation. Moreover, super-agers had more von Economo neurons—also called spindle cells—than their normally ageing peers. These neurons play an essential role in social behaviour, emotional processing, and self-awareness.
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Dr Weintraub concluded: “Our findings show that exceptional memory in old age is not only possible but linked to a distinct neurobiological profile. This opens the door to new interventions aimed at preserving brain health well into later life.” The team hopes their research will pave the way for strategies to promote cognitive vitality and delay or prevent neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia, in the future.
