For most people, memory becomes less reliable with age. Names come more slowly, details fade, and the ability to recall recent events often declines throughout the later decades of life.

But a small group of adults in their 80s, 90s and beyond appear to defy that pattern. Known as superagers, they perform on memory tests as well as people decades younger, offering scientists a rare glimpse into what resilient brain aging can look like.

Emily Rogalski, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago and director of the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Research Care Center, has helped define and study this unusual population. In her research, a superager is generally someone over age 80 whose episodic memory — the ability to remember events, experiences and learned information — is at least as strong as that of adults in their 50s or 60s.

A lot of superaging has to do with physiology. According to New Scientist, superagers tend to have larger cerebral cortices and hippocampi, regions involved in memory and learning. Other studies have found that some superagers show less cortical thinning, fewer Alzheimer-type tangles in key brain regions and a distinctive abundance of spindle neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area linked to attention, motivation and social-emotional processing.

Other research found that superagers have roughly twice as many new neurons as older adults with normal memory for their age, and 2.5 times more than people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the New York Times, proving that for superagers, the brain remains elastic and pliable, supporting neuroplasticity — its ability to adapt, and form new connections.

One of the most striking lessons from superager research is that superagers seem to have brains that are structurally and biologically different from those of their same-age peers. Their memory-related regions may shrink more slowly, and their brains may be better able to tolerate the kinds of changes often associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Lifestyle Choices

But biology is only part of the story. Superagers are not identical in their habits, and no single behavior guarantees extraordinary memory. Still, researchers have noticed patterns. Many superagers remain socially engaged, curious and active, notes Rogalski. They often maintain close relationships, volunteer, read, learn new skills or continue participating in meaningful work and community life.

Social connection may be particularly important. Rogalski has emphasized that many superagers are deeply connected to others, a trait that may help sustain emotional health, reduce stress and keep the brain engaged. Physical activity, good sleep, mental challenge and management of cardiovascular risk factors are also widely associated with healthier cognitive aging, even if they do not turn every older adult into a superager.

The most important thing is to find activities, both mentally and physically, that you enjoy but are also challenging, Rogalaski tells UChicago News. She emphasizes that becoming a superager doesn’t mean adopting a “one-size fits all” formula but choosing the best individualized path to follow.

“Hey, here’s my genetic factors. Here are the lifestyle factors that I’ve been doing for the last several decades,” she says. “Here’s what I’ve been eating. Given this and my risk profile, what do I do now to help myself have the best probability of being on a positive trajectory of aging?”

Scientists are hoping to identify the biological signatures of superagers to allow people not merely to live longer, but to extend the years of independence, connection and mental vitality.