Super-agers have more new brain cell growth than peers

A study of donated brains found that people aged 80 or older with exceptional memory produced more new hippocampal neurons than other older adults, while early cognitive decline showed minimal neurogenesis and Alzheimer's patients showed almost no new neuron growth.

Researchers report that people aged 80 or older with exceptional memory produce more new brain cells in the hippocampus than their peers. The study was conducted by the University of Illinois College of Medicine and published in Nature. Scientists analysed donated brain samples across five groups to compare patterns of cell growth. The report focuses on stages of adult neurogenesis that indicate new neuron formation. Key findings: - The study used donated brain tissue from five groups: healthy young adults, healthy older adults, super-agers (donors aged 80+ with exceptional memory), people with mild or early dementia, and people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. - Investigators measured three cell stages linked to neurogenesis: stem cells, neuroblasts (developing nerve cells), and immature neurons close to becoming functional neurons. - Super-agers showed higher production of these cells, with researchers reporting roughly twice the level of neurogenesis compared with other healthy older adults. - People with early-stage cognitive decline showed minimal new neuron growth, and Alzheimer's disease samples showed almost no new neuron formation. - Authors named include Orly Lazarov and Ahmed Disouky, who describe a distinct memory ‘‘resilience signature’’ in super-ager brains. Summary: The study links ongoing hippocampal neurogenesis with preserved memory in some older adults and contrasts that pattern with minimal or absent neurogenesis in early cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers report that further work to understand how neurogenesis is maintained could inform development of targeted therapeutics to preserve memory and cognitive health.