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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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If you get enough reps in…
I managed to put Brave Browser on my new Galaxy tablet without using the Google play store...my AI got me through the process...I think it was worth the time...and brain use...esp at my age...way past retirement...next up...bitdefender, etc.
Definitely, especially since seniors typically have chronic shoulder issues.
Sound practical advice, FRiend! Thank you.
I’m gonna work on the amino acids, can’t name even one! 😆
I think I’m holding up pretty well on the rest of your suggestions.
I can’t remember why I opened this thread.
“Keeping my memory fairly sharp takes work”
Yep, use it or lose it. My 75th is approaching in July. I took up chess about three years ago and that’s a real brain work-out (of course, it’s a double-edged sword because it increases your frustration level when you just seem to hit a wall, your rating is stuck, and you make dumb blunders).
I’ve always been a data and numbers engineer. I do a lot of tracking of my exercise, nutrition, blood pressure, hiking miles/elevation/heart rate, blood lab results, etc and log all the data. I was frustrated with the poor quality of the apps I use and started developing Python scripts to improve my analysis. That led to using Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok for agentic coding assistance when then led to learning “prompt engineering” and more learning about AI systems.
The personal app I now have for analyzing my hikes is now excellent and beats all the commercial tools. I had to first learn about the different exercise metabolic models that have been developed by researchers and figure out how to code them up in one app.
There’s no end to the ways you can keep your brain sharp and in top form.
Funny thing about this old guy with many millions, he drove an old Volkswagon Beetle!
I bet it is helpful.
It may help that the sardines die young, but I suspect it is more important that they are eating lower on the food chain. Toxins accumulate over a lifetime, and the sardine diet probably is very short lived.
That made me chuckle, sir.
Ping.
“I always feel smarter the day after I eat some tuna.”
Rum and coke works for me. 79 1/2.
Ditch the sardines, keep the jam! LOL
*That made me chuckle, sir.*
I got it from my Dad. I wish I could take credit. Feel free to use it.
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