Superagers' Brains Have Special Ability, Study Finds

Research suggests older adults with sharp memories have more new neurons in key brain region.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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A new study published in Nature found that so-called 'superagers' - people in their 80s with the memory abilities of someone 30 years younger - had roughly twice as many new neurons in their hippocampus, a brain region important for learning and memory, compared to older adults with normal cognition for their age. The researchers believe this neurogenesis, or ability to grow new neurons, is a key factor in superagers' preserved brain function.

Why it matters

The findings provide biological evidence that the aging brain maintains plasticity and the ability to generate new neurons, even in very old age. This challenges the common assumption that brain function inevitably declines with age. Understanding the mechanisms behind superaging could lead to new treatments to help more people maintain sharp cognition as they get older.

The details

The study examined postmortem brain samples from four groups: young adults (ages 20-40) with normal cognition, older adults with normal cognition, those with mild cognitive impairment, and 'superagers.' The researchers found all groups had signs of neural stem cells, neuroblasts (immature neurons), and new neurons, but the superagers had substantially more immature neurons in the hippocampus compared to the other groups, including the young adults. The superagers' new neurons also had unique genetic and epigenetic characteristics that may contribute to their resilience to aging.

  • The study was published on March 4, 2026 in the journal Nature.

The players

Orly Lazarov

A professor of neuroscience at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine who led the research.

Tamar Gefen

An associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine who contributed to the research.

Bryan Strange

A professor of clinical neuroscience at the Polytechnic University of Madrid who studies a different group of superagers.

Hongjun Song

A professor of neurological sciences at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine who researches neurogenesis but was not involved in the study.

Shawn Sorrells

An associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh who has also researched neurogenesis.

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What they’re saying

“This paper shows biological proof that the aging brain is plastic, even into a person's 80s.”

— Tamar Gefen, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

“Superaging happens not only because there's more of these young cells, but because there is a type of genetic programming that allows for their preservation.”

— Tamar Gefen, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

“If you have normal neurogenesis, you gradually lose the stem cells. If that's true in Alzheimer's, that's really opened up a new direction for the field to potentially treat Alzheimer's by reactivating the dormant stem cells.”

— Hongjun Song, Professor of Neurological Sciences

What’s next

Researchers are now trying to understand how the superagers' new neurons relate to their superior memory abilities and whether it may be possible to develop a drug to help others maintain sharper cognition as they age.

The takeaway

This study provides biological evidence that the aging brain retains remarkable plasticity, challenging the common assumption that brain function inevitably declines over time. Understanding the mechanisms behind 'superaging' could lead to new treatments to help more people preserve their cognitive abilities as they get older.