What Makes Superagers’ Brains So Special: Why some 80-year-olds have the memory of a 50-year-old.

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.”

Brain Continues to Grow in Adulthood

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.

Unique Gene Signature

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.

What You Can Do

“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.

Also very important...

1. Cocoa flavanols (primarily epicatechin and related compounds found in high-cocoa-content dark chocolate, cocoa powder, or specialized extracts) have been studied for their potential effects on brain function, particularly neuronal health, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive performance. Flavanols enhance nitric oxide (NO) production, promoting vasodilation and better endothelial function. This increases cerebral blood flow, capillary density, and brain tissue oxygenation, especially in regions like the hippocampus (critical for memory). Better nutrient/oxygen delivery supports neuronal energy demands and may reduce hypoxia-related impairments. Acute effects: Faster and greater frontal cortex oxygenation during challenges (e.g., hypercapnia). In the dentate gyrus (part of the hippocampus), flavanols are associated with increased dendritic spine density, neuronal morphology changes, and adult neurogenesis (formation of new neurons). They also support long-term potentiation (LTP), the cellular basis of learning and memory. Animal evidence: Epicatechin increases dendritic spines and capillary density in memory-related areas; effects often enhanced when combined with exercise. Human link: Improved dentate gyrus function correlates with better memory performance in older adults.

For older adults, high-flavanol cocoa improve dentate gyrus function and reversed aspects of age-related memory decline (e.g., pattern separation tasks), equivalent to "reversing" ~30 years of decline in some metrics. Larger trials (e.g., COSMOS-related) suggest benefits for memory in those with lower habitual flavanol intake or poorer diet quality. Chronic intake (weeks to months) often links to better executive function, working memory, and processing speed.

2. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a potent bioactive compound derived from glucoraphanin, found most abundantly in broccoli sprouts, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables (e.g., Brussels sprouts, kale). It activates the Nrf2 pathway — a master regulator of cellular defense against oxidative stress, inflammation, and toxins — making it one of the most studied natural compounds for brain health, particularly in the context of aging. Aging often weakens Nrf2 signaling, leading to higher oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the brain (especially in microglia). SFN helps restore this balance, reducing reactive oxygen species and protecting neurons.

SFN attenuates pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) in microglia and inhibits NF-κB signaling. It also boosts glutathione levels in the brain, which decline with age and contribute to cognitive issues. This helps mitigate chronic low-grade inflammation ("inflammaging") linked to cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and vascular cognitive impairment.

SFN promotes brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression (via epigenetic mechanisms like HDAC inhibition), which supports neuron survival, growth, dendritic spine density, and adult neurogenesis (particularly in the hippocampus). It also enhances long-term potentiation (LTP), the cellular basis of learning and memory.

SFN has potential mood benefits (reduced negative mood), improved cerebral blood flow indirectly via vascular protection, and general resilience to stressors like toxins or inflammation. 12 weeks of SFN supplementation significantly improved processing speed and reduced negative mood (e.g., anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment) compared to placebo. No major changes were seen in some blood markers (BDNF, oxidative stress, inflammation), but absorption was confirmed.

In a 12-week trial with 144 healthy older adults, SFN alone improved processing speed and working memory. Brain training (e.g., "Brain Age" game) also helped processing speed, but the combination did not show additive benefits.

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