For more than 25 years, researchers at Northwestern Medicine have been studying people age 80 and older known as "SuperAgers" to understand how some individuals maintain exceptional mental sharpness late in life.

These individuals consistently perform on memory tests at levels similar to people at least 30 years younger, challenging the long-standing belief that cognitive decline is unavoidable with age.

Over decades of research, scientists have noticed some lifestyle and personality traits that set SuperAgers apart from their peers, including being highly social and outgoing. Still, the most surprising discoveries have come from examining their brains. "It's really what we've found in their brains that's been so earth-shattering for us," said Dr. Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

By identifying both biological and behavioral patterns linked to SuperAging, researchers hope to develop new approaches to strengthen cognitive resilience and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

"Our findings show that exceptional memory in old age is not only possible but is linked to a distinct neurobiological profile. This opens the door to new interventions aimed at preserving brain health well into the later decades of life," said Weintraub, corresponding author of a new paper summarizing the results.

The findings were published as a perspective article in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, part of a special issue marking the 40th anniversary of the National Institute on Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Centers Program and the 25th anniversary of the National Alzheimer Coordinating Center.

Resilient and Resistant Brains

The label "SuperAger" was introduced by Dr. M. Marsel Mesulam, who founded the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease at Northwestern in the late 1990s.