This Medical News Today summary reports a Nature study examining SuperAgers, adults aged 80 and older who tend to maintain cognition better than peers. The study focuses on hippocampal neurogenesis, the formation of new neurons from neural stem cells. Among five analyzed groups, the researchers found that neurogenesis occurs in healthy adult human hippocampus. More notably, SuperAgers exhibited higher production of new neurons compared with other older adult groups. The authors propose that a distinctive molecular profile of these neurons in SuperAgers reflects resilience signals that support ongoing neurogenesis, potentially contributing to preserved cognitive function. The text notes the potential of validating the observed molecular networks to develop therapies that enhance neurogenesis and support cognition, though functional validation is described as a future step. Commentary from clinical neuropsychologists emphasizes that the findings may partly explain why lifestyle factors (e.g., exercise, lifelong learning) correlate with better brain health, suggesting a biological mechanism linking activity to neural renewal and cognitive protection.
As we age, it’s not uncommon for the brain to change in ways that can negatively impact our cognition .
However, there is one population known as “ SuperAgers ” who are adults ages 80 and older who tend to have the opposite occur in their brains.
Past studies show that SuperAgers may experience slower brain atrophy , lower brain volume loss , and reduced neuroinflammation .
Now a new study published in the journal Nature has found that SuperAgers also grow more neurons than other older adults groups, helping to keep their brains healthy.
For this study, researchers focused on neurogenesis which, according to Orly Lazarov , PhD, professor and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Training Program at the University of Illinois Chicago and lead author of this study, is the formation of new neurons from neural stem cells .
“Understanding this process helps us elucidate brain function and develop therapeutic strategies that support cognition and prevent dementia ,” Lazarov told Medical News Today . “This is a unique phenomena in the brain that allows important flexibility needed in learning and memory in particular.”
During this study, Lazarov and her team analyzed brain samples from five different groups:
At the study’s conclusion, scientists found first, that hippocampal neurogenesis — the creation of new neurons in the hippocampus of the brain — happens in healthy human adults.
Second, researchers discovered that SuperAgers tended to make more new neurons when compared to other adult groups.
“[This finding] may suggest that one of the ways (SuperAgers’) brains function so well and exhibit strong cognition is due to the availability of more neurogenesis,” Lazarov explained.
“I should point out that it wasn’t just the number, it was mainly the unique molecular profile of these cells that suggested that the SuperAgers’ brain has ‘resilience’ molecular signals that support neurogenesis,” she continued.
“If we are able to functionally validate the role of the molecular networks we observed in the different cohorts and particularly in the SuperAgers, we would attempt to develop a therapeutic approach for the enhancement of neurogenesis and the support of cognitive function,” she added.
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Megan Glenn , PsyD, clinical neuropsychologist in the Center for Memory and Healthy Aging at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study, who commented her first reaction to its findings was excitement.
“For a long time, the adult brain was seen as relatively fixed,” Glenn explained.
“This study is a breath of fresh air, providing strong biological evidence for what we hope to be true: that the brain has a capacity for renewal. The discovery of a unique ‘resilience signature’ in the brains of SuperAgers is incredibly hopeful. It suggests there are natural, protective mechanisms that we can learn from and potentially harness to help our patients maintain their cognitive health.”
She also said that this research is critical because it helps validate the lifestyle-based advice doctors give their patients every day.
“For years, we have recommended activities like exercise and lifelong learning to support brain health,” Glenn detailed.
“This study provides a potential biological explanation for why those things work. It suggests these activities aren’t just keeping the brain ‘busy,’ but may be directly influencing the biological machinery that promotes the growth of new neurons and builds resilience against decline. It shifts the focus from what is lost during aging to what can be preserved and even strengthened,” she explained.