Posted on 04/22/2026 9:04:29 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Some people reach their 80s with memories sharper than many 50-year-olds. Scientists now think they know why: Their brains never stopped growing new cells.
Scientists studying a rare group of older people known as superagers—those aged 80 and over whose memory rivals someone 30 years younger—have found that their brains produce new neurons at twice the rate of typical older adults.
“For most of the last century, the prevailing belief was that brain cells only die as you age—you were born with what you had, and that was that,” Jordan Weiss, professor at the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and not involved with the study, told The Epoch Times. This research, he said, adds to a growing body of evidence that the story is “more hopeful than that.”
The new findings, published in Nature , confirm that neurogenesis also occurs in adult humans.
To investigate, researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago, Northwestern University, and the University of Washington examined donated brain samples from five groups: healthy young adults, healthy older adults, superagers aged 80 and older with exceptional memory, individuals with mild or early dementia, and those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Scientists looked for three stages of developing neurons: stem cells that can turn into neurons, neuroblasts (adolescent stem cells), and immature neurons just shy of becoming fully functional, all of which are signs that the brain is growing new neurons.
While healthy adults continue to produce new neurons in the hippocampus, superagers generated twice as many as typical older adults.
Brains from people in the earliest stages of cognitive decline showed very little growth, while those with Alzheimer’s created almost no new neurons. The new neurons had different biological signatures depending on the brain’s cognitive health.
New growth is often a sign of improved memory and flexibility. The brain is highly plastic and able to reorganize both its structure and neural connections depending on new experiences, and it can also help with injury recovery.
She believes the capacity for exceptional neurogenesis is encoded in the genes of superagers.
When researchers compared the genetic and epigenetic profiles of neurons in superagers, they found a “very distinct” profile compared with all the other groups they examined. This is due to their capability to generate signaling pathways that either increase neuron survival and/or production, Lazarov said, “which allows more neurogenesis and more immature neurons in their brains.”
Modern medicine has increased life expectancy, co-lead author Dr. Jalees Rehman, a professor at UIC, said in a press release. “We need to ensure that this overall increased life expectancy goes along with a high quality of life, including cognitive health.”
Understanding the molecular details of neurogenesis could lead to targeted treatments to help preserve memory and mental function as people age, Rehman added. The team now plans to explore how lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and inflammation might work with neurogenesis to influence aging.
“From a brain biology standpoint, lifestyle can shape the environment those cells [neurons] live in through blood flow, inflammation, stress hormones and sleep quality,” Dr. Rab Nawaz Khan, a specialist doctor in general, stroke, and rehabilitation medicine at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in Wales, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times.
Khan and other experts consistently point to aerobic exercise as the most important modifiable factor.
“Exercise causes increased cerebral blood flow and oxygenation via increased concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF),” Dr. Rajesh Burela, a neurology resident physician, told The Epoch Times. He recommends at least 30 minutes of heart-rate-elevating activity—speed walking, boxing, or swimming—on a regular basis.
On diet, Burela points to polyphenols from blueberries, curcumin, and resveratrol, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids. “In terms of specific diets, in neurology, we generally recommend the Mediterranean diet,” he said.
No single nutrient is a silver bullet, Khan said, what matters more is a long-term dietary pattern that reduces metabolic strain, “meaning better blood pressure, blood sugar, and less chronic inflammation.”
Cognitive and social engagement “round out the picture,” Weiss said. “Isolation and loneliness are huge drivers of cognitive decline in the elderly.”
Learning new skills, navigating complex social environments, and staying intellectually stimulated all appear to support not only neuronal production, but also survival and integration, which can help preserve our cognitive faculties as we age, he said.
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Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Thank you for the info.
I’m 62 but I read at a 63yr old level.
“Switch to sardines. They are really good for you.”
And since the sardines are young the heavy metals count is almost non-existent.
As a 86 year old dude, I am 100% sure the daily mild aerobic exercise is the most beneficial for health. And I am still developing computer programs to manage my investments.
My endocrinologist, who practiced for almost fifty years, kept a ledger of conversations with his “super aged” patients, quite a few in their 90’s. There were three elements they had in common…….most of their lives they took small naps in the afternoon, non-smokers, and pushed themselves to be positive and active.
“ Switch to sardines. They are really good for you”
Yeah, but then life would not be worth living.
How about just keep working doing difficult and challenging brain work?
So...genetics. Otherwise, healthy diet...exercise. This is news?
One thing for sure, I guarantee you. None of these folks smoked dope or weed.
************
Bears repeating.
Unless you have gout. I love sardines, my big toe doesn’t.
Well, maybe hold the jam. 😆
The memory is the 2nd thing to go. I do not recall what goes 1st.
Well, I still play music in bars and taverns so that helps me.
>> Well, maybe hold the jam. 😆
The jam sounded weird to me too when the combination was first recommended to me a few decades ago — but don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it!
>> How about just keep working doing difficult and challenging brain work?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“lifelong learning”
Thirty five years ago at the age of 45 years I took up weight lifting for exercise. I blew a mitral valve and had open heart surgery.
Now I don’t lift anything heavier than an eating fork.
Learn (or review) calculus, that's a good one. Crosswords? They're available online, tons of them
Diet and nutrition? That's a biggie. Stay away from seed oils (omega-6s such as linoleic acid), excessive carbohydrates, and long lists of "ingredients".
Fish oil capsules, supplements with polyphenols, and vitamins...all good.
Exercise? you betcha. I'll be running in a 5K in a few weeks, in fact.
Birthdays? My 78th is rapidly approaching. Keeping my memory fairly sharp takes work, but it beats the alternative.
When researchers compared the genetic and epigenetic profiles of neurons in superagers, they found a “very distinct” profile compared with all the other groups they examined.
The whole area under “What You Can Do” describes what those scientists say should help get you there.
Regardless, they proved new neurons are made in older people.
You may want to read some now old information on wild blueberries:
https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2002/blueberries-may-boost-brain-power/
My dentist is in his early 80s.
I trust him. He chooses his patients and does this just to stay active.
The guy drives 45 minutes to work each day.
Most every weekday morning I meet the other old geezers for old man breakfast. It’s the only thing I still drive to. I am 95 and a super ager. It is partly genetics and partly exercise and proper eating. And a good bit of luck no doubt. I am not the oldest in the area, there is a guy that is 101 and still drives a little.
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