Super-Ager Brains Grow Twice the Neurons, Study Finds

Scientists at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Chicago have found that people who remain cognitively sharp well into their 80s and beyond generate twice as many new neurons in the hippocampus as typical older adults, according to research published February 26, 2026, in the journal Nature and reported by NBC News. The hippocampus is the region of the brain most closely tied to learning and the formation of new memories.

Researchers examined brain tissue from 38 deceased adults divided into five groups, including healthy younger adults, healthy older adults, people in early cognitive decline, people with Alzheimer’s disease, and six confirmed super-agers.

The study’s lead researcher, Orly Lazarov - director of UIC’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Training Program - described the finding as evidence that super-agers possess a distinct molecular capability. “This discovery means that the super-agers have a molecular capability that allows them to have higher performance, and that includes more neurogenesis,” Lazarov told NBC News. “Neurogenesis is one of the most profound forms of plasticity in the brain.”

What a Super-Ager Is

A super-ager is formally defined as a person aged 80 or older who demonstrates the memory capacity of someone at least two to three decades younger, as measured by delayed word recall testing, according to NBC News. The term was coined by Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam, founder of the Mesulam Institute for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease at Northwestern University. The six super-ager brains examined in the new study were donated through Northwestern’s SuperAging Program, which has tracked extraordinarily high-functioning older adults for more than 25 years.

Compared with brains from people with Alzheimer’s disease, super-ager brains contained two and a half times as many immature - or newly forming - neurons. The neurons in question are located in the dentate gyrus, a portion of the hippocampus where adult neurogenesis has previously been documented in animals and, more recently, in humans.

What the Brain Is Actually Doing Differently

The research also found that two specific types of brain cells - astrocytes and CA1 neurons - play a role in regulating memory and cognition in the aging hippocampus in ways that appear more active in super-agers. Lazarov described super-ager brains as showing a “resilience signature,” one that allows them to continue adapting and forming connections in ways typical aging brains do not sustain.

This marks the first study to identify a genetic difference between super-agers and their peers, according to the Northwestern SuperAging Program. Program co-director Tamar Gefen, a co-author on the study, told NBC News that looking at super-ager brain tissue makes the distinction unmistakable. “There is no question that their hippocampi are completely different from other human beings’, period,” she said.

What Prior Research Has Shown

The new finding adds to more than two decades of observations from Northwestern’s program. Earlier studies established that super-ager brains shrink more slowly with age than those of typical older adults, based on research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2017. Research from 2021 found that super-agers show resistance to tau tangles - abnormal protein buildups linked to Alzheimer’s progression.

Behavioral patterns have also been documented. Super-agers tend to describe themselves as extroverts, remain open to new experiences, and report lower levels of neuroticism than their peers, according to NBC News. Gefen noted that the program’s data consistently points to the importance of socialization for healthy aging, with isolation identified as a meaningful risk factor in contrast.

What This Means Going Forward

The study’s authors noted its limitations: the sample size was small, and variability in human brain tissue is inherently high. Still, the finding that adult human brains can generate new neurons as a function of both age and cognitive status opens a line of inquiry with potential implications for Alzheimer’s research and treatment. Jennifer Pauldurai, medical director of the Inova Brain Health and Memory Disorders Program, told NBC News that the concept of super-aging gives individuals more agency over their cognitive futures - and that the rates of dementia are only increasing as lifespans extend. The path toward that kind of resilience, the research suggests, starts well before the 80s.

References: New clues to the ‘super-ager’ brain and how to stay mentally sharp 80 and beyond | Super-agers’ brains stay young into old age - new research brings us closer to understanding why