“SuperAgers” With Amazing Memory Retention May Have “Super Neurons,” Study Suggests

Though normal aging is associated with gradual memory loss, some sharp seniors can recollect events with startling clarity well into their sunset years. Northwestern University researchers have dubbed these people “SuperAgers” — individuals at least 80 years old with the memory retention of those up to three decades younger. A new study now suggests that the cause of their exceptional recall may be larger-than-average neurons. Researchers at the school’s Feinberg School of Medicine imaged the post-mortem brains of six SuperAgers, seven cognitively average elderly people, five people with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and six people who were 20-30 years younger when they died. The researchers discovered that the second-layer neurons in the SuperAgers’ brains were significantly larger than those of everyone else tested, even the much younger individuals. “The remarkable observation that SuperAgers showed larger neurons than their younger peers may imply that large cells were present from birth and are maintained structurally throughout their lives,” said lead author Dr. Tamar Gefen. “We conclude that larger neurons are a biological signature of the SuperAging trajectory.”

What Are Super Neurons?