How to become a "super-old" person with an intact memory

We all age… but not in the same way. Some aspects of aging are common to all humans, notably the loss of cell mass of every organ in the body. The brain is no exception: neurons die and are not replaced, reducing its overall volume. This is largely due to this brain shrinkage that our cognitive abilities decline, particularly memory. Yet, some privileged individuals manage to delay this decline and, at 80, retain a memory comparable to that of someone in their 50s or 60s. These “super-old” people intrigue experts, who are now trying to understand the factors that slow their brain aging. This is notably the case with the Superaging Research Initiative (SuperAging Research Initiative) led by neurologist Emily Rogalski at the University of Chicago. By comparing these “super-old” people to “normal” octogenarians, this project has already made some surprising discoveries, the most recent dating from July 23, 2026 in the journal Alzheimer's Research & Therapy.

In search of factors that protect memory