SuperAgers Study Reveals: Some 80-Year-Olds Have Memory of People 30 Years Younger
Some adults in their eighties perform memory tests at the level of people decades younger. What sets these “SuperAgers” apart from their peers? A new 25-year study from Northwestern University investigates the unique brain and lifestyle traits of this remarkable group.
Note: This article is intended for general information and educational purposes. It summarizes scientific research in accessible language for a broad audience and is not an official scientific press release.
Background and Origins: How the Concept of SuperAging Emerged
The Initial Discovery
A research team led by Sandra Weintraub, Tamar Gefen, Changiz Geula, and M.-Marsel Mesulam at the Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (USA) first introduced the concept of “SuperAging” in the early 2000s. The program began after these researchers encountered an unusual case: an 81-year-old participant in a previous study achieved memory test scores typically seen in 50-year-old adults. According to the published study, post-mortem analysis of this individual’s brain revealed only minimal signs of neurofibrillary degeneration, a rare finding even among cognitively healthy older adults. This observation led the team to question whether age-related memory decline is truly unavoidable, and whether there could be specific biological characteristics associated with preserved cognitive function in later life.
Launching the SuperAging Program
In response, the Northwestern SuperAging Program was established to systematically investigate whether it is possible to avoid typical age-related declines in brain function, and to determine what distinguishes these individuals. The authors clarify that the term “superaging” was intentionally developed as a specific operational definition to identify a measurable and distinctive cognitive profile in older adults, rather than serving as a general descriptive phrase. Over the following decades, it expanded to include hundreds of participants and a multidisciplinary research team.
Research Aims and Main Findings
Over the past 25 years, Weintraub and colleagues at Northwestern University’s Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease have focused on this rare group of older adults, referred to as “SuperAgers.” According to the authors, these individuals maintain memory performance and cognitive function comparable to, or even exceeding, those of adults 20 to 30 years younger. The findings, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia in August 2025, provide evidence that SuperAgers represent a unique neuropsychological and biological group.
The researchers set out to explore whether age-related memory decline is universal, or whether some individuals can avoid it altogether. According to the study, their findings challenge the notion that memory loss is an inevitable part of aging and suggest that some older adults can maintain high levels of cognitive ability well into their 80s and beyond.
Who Are SuperAgers and How Are They Identified?
The term “SuperAgers,” as defined by the Northwestern group, refers to people aged 80 and above who perform at least as well as 50- or 60-year-olds on specific memory tests. The main benchmark was scoring at least 9 out of 15 on the delayed recall portion of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, which is considered average for much younger adults but almost double the typical score for their age group.
The study’s authors note that only about 10% of older adults screened met the strict criteria for SuperAgers. As of publication, the program included 101 SuperAgers and 32 age-matched controls. The researchers explain that SuperAgers, on average, scored more than twice as high on memory tests as their peers, while performing at age-appropriate levels on other cognitive assessments.
Interestingly, the study points out that SuperAgers did not necessarily share similar lifestyles or health habits. According to the authors, the group included individuals with a variety of behaviors and medical backgrounds. The most common trait among SuperAgers, as reported by the study, was a high level of social engagement and positive social relationships.
Research Approach and Methods
The SuperAging Program used a comprehensive approach, including cognitive testing, personality assessments, brain imaging, and post-mortem analysis. The study tracked cognitive scores, health status, and brain structure over time. According to the authors, no single lifestyle factor predicted SuperAger status. The only consistent trend was a greater tendency for social activity and higher self-rated levels of extraversion.
What Makes This Study Distinctive?
The authors emphasize that SuperAgers are not just statistical outliers but represent a distinctive cognitive and biological phenotype. According to the study, SuperAgers’ brains differ both in structure and at the cellular level from those of typical older adults. For example, the research indicates that SuperAgers have brain volumes similar to much younger adults and possess a region in the cingulate gyrus that is even thicker than in younger individuals.
The study further notes that SuperAgers display fewer Alzheimer’s disease-type changes in the brain, larger entorhinal neurons, less inflammatory activity in the white matter, better preserved cholinergic function, and a higher density of von Economo neurons – cells linked to social behavior and emotional processing.
Key Findings from the Study
According to the authors, the study found:
- SuperAgers have cortical volumes similar to neurotypical adults 20 to 30 years younger.
- The cingulate gyrus is thicker in SuperAgers than in both age-matched and younger controls.
- SuperAgers show fewer Alzheimer’s disease–type changes in the brain, larger entorhinal neurons, less inflammatory microglia in white matter, better preserved cholinergic function, and a greater density of von Economo neurons.
- SuperAgers do not appear to be medically healthier than their peers based on medication profiles.
- Social engagement and extraversion are more common among SuperAgers than among their peers.
- Biomarker analysis shows lower levels of phosphorylated tau in SuperAgers, which may be related to reduced neurofibrillary degeneration.
- Activated microglia are less common in SuperAgers’ white matter, and microglia isolated from SuperAger brains show different behavior in laboratory studies.
- The density of acetylcholinesterase-rich neurons is lower in SuperAgers, which the authors note may affect neurotransmitter function.
- Brain imaging showed no significant atrophy or age-related changes, even in areas such as the hippocampus and amygdala.
Authors’ Interpretations and Conclusions
The research team concludes that it is possible to identify older adults who avoid the typical memory decline of aging and who also show unique biological characteristics. According to the authors, SuperAgers maintain healthy brain structure, have higher levels of social engagement, and appear resistant or resilient to the changes often seen in average aging.
The authors note that the SuperAger phenotype represents a state in which certain protective factors may allow for resistance to age-related decline. However, they also point out that these benefits are not permanent, and age-related processes eventually occur. The study highlights that further research is needed to understand the genetic and environmental factors behind SuperAging, and that new findings could one day clarify the biology of cognitive resilience.
The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. For medical advice, please consult your doctor.
Full Reference
Weintraub S, Gefen T, Geula C, Mesulam M-M. The first 25 years of the Northwestern University SuperAging Program. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2025;21:e70312. DOI: 10.1002/alz.70312
