What is SuperAging?

The Pew Research Center tells us that the number of Americans older than 65 will nearly double in the next 35 years. Dr. Emily Rogalski, clinical and cognitive neuroscientist and director of the Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Research Care Center at the University of Chicago, has been studying a subset of this group of older Americans called “SuperAgers” for more than a decade and is considered among the leading experts in this area of study.

So new is the study of SuperAgers that criteria for defining this group and precise data on the number of SuperAgers is still emerging as neurologists, psychologists, behavioral scientists, and other researchers study these high-performing older adults.

Definitions of SuperAgers vary, but the common thread among descriptions is older adults who exhibit capabilities of adults who are decades younger.

According to Northwestern Medicine, a SuperAger is someone 80 years or older who has the cognitive function of an average middle-aged person. Northwestern adds that SuperAgers may be “better protected” from dementia because MRI scanning shows less brain volume loss.

Harvard Health offers a more expansive definition that differentiates between cognitive and physical SuperAgers, referring to “people in their 70s and 80s who have the mental or physical capability of their decades-younger counterparts.” Aerobic capacity, recorded as VO2 max (a measure of how much oxygen the body consumes during exercise), is one of the hallmarks of a physical SuperAger, says Harvard Health. According to the Cleveland Clinic, VO2 max varies by age, individual, and sex, but can be a good overall measure of the effectiveness of an aerobic workout.

Thus far, researchers agree that a combination of factors seems to create favorable conditions for SuperAging—but acknowledge a need for ongoing research. According to University of Michigan neuropsychologist and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Amanda Maher, PhD, genetics and lifestyle factors play a role in resisting what contributes to age-related decline.

Other researchers add the following specifics:

• Better overall physical health
• Strong but not overresponsive immune system
• Ability to resist neurodegenerative, cancer, and cardiovascular disease
• Strong social relationships
• Strong mental health

According to Dr. Dayna Touron, a psychologist specializing in cognition and aging at the University of North Carolina, these general characteristics are not absolutes, noting variability among SuperAgers. Some common bonds, however, include regular physical exercise, mental engagement, and diet, all of which can improve mental and cognitive health, explains Dr. Touron. Seniors living in communities that provide opportunities for physical activity, social engagement, and healthy eating benefit from reduced risk of disease.

Dr. Eric Topol, cardiologist, genomics professor, and author of Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity, notes that family history is not among the factors contributing to the abilities and longevity in the SuperAgers he studies. There is little in their DNA, he says, that he was able to identify as a contributing factor to their abilities, and cites many examples of SuperAgers who are the only ones in their families enjoying longevity, good health, and full cognitive abilities. This finding suggests the importance of environment—where and how seniors live—to living long and living well.

Neuroimaging, or the use of fMRIs (functional MRI that measures brain activity via blood flow and oxygenation) and other computer scanning to produce pictures of the brain and nervous system, has advanced over the past ten to 15 years. These tools enable researchers like Dr. Denise Park of the University of Texas at Dallas to better understand the connections among the brain, cognitive function, and behavior as well as how the brain changes with age, particularly in adults over the age of 80.

Rather than focus on what brain changes result in disease and cognitive decline, new research is looking at what makes the brains of SuperAgers resistant to age-related decline. A June 2024 article in The Journal of Neuroscience explains that SuperAgers have more volume in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, areas of the brain important to memory and spatial orientation. In addition, SuperAgers retain connectivity among areas of the brain involved in cognition.

Researchers Emily Rogalski (U. Chicago) and Amanda Cook Maher (U. Michigan) add these findings:

• Thicker cortex (outer area of the brain)
• Less brain shrinkage (often half as much)
• Thicker anterior cingulate cortex (cognitive processing, learning, motivation, and decision making)
• Greater density of von Economo neurons (large, specialized neurons associated with social relationships and socio-emotional functioning)

In short, the areas of the brain vital to memory and cognition retain their youthful volume and ability to function well. Interestingly, in an interview on the radio program Science Friday, Dr. Rogalski notes that the brains of SuperAgers seem resistant to the pathology of Alzheimer’s; if they do have some brain changes associated with the disease, their cognition and memory remain intact, unaffected by these disease markers.

Northwestern Medicine Geriatrician Lee Lindquist, MD defines a SuperAger as someone aged 80 or older who has cognitive function comparable to someone middle-aged. He shares these insights into what makes for SuperAging:

Physical Activity Exercise oxygenates the brain, strengthens the heart and other muscles, and helps maintain a healthy weight

Mental Challenges Stimulating and engaging the brain by moving out of an intellectual “comfort zone”

Strong Social Ties Social awareness and processing seem to enlarge the “attention region” of the brain, as well as drastically increase the number of von Economo neurons (mentioned above) involved in self-awareness, social cognition, and emotional processing

Moderate Alcohol Consumption Moderate drinkers are 23% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s or memory problems than those who do not drink alcohol. Additional research replicating this finding by Dr. Lindquist has also been reported by The New York Times (July 2020), the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 2020), and the Journal of Affective Disorders (July 2025).

Dr. Denise Park (U. Texas) notes that SuperAgers often have a distinctive personality trait called “openness to experience,” which leads to enrichment for the mind because of a willingness to learn new things and seek out novel experiences.

Dr. Dayna Touron (U. North Carolina) calls physical exercise the “most compelling” of all cognitive brain health interventions because minimal exercise (she cites a daily 30-minute walk) creates significant advantages to cognitive performance.

All of these research findings note both environmental and lifestyle factors affecting the wellbeing of seniors, reinforcing the importance of a senior living setting that recognizes and provides for these needs.

In an interview on Science Friday, author and cardiologist Dr. Eric Topol explains the role AI, or artificial intelligence, will increasingly play in aging well. Dr. Topol founded the Scripps Research Translational Institute in 2007 with the goal of combining human genomic information and digital technology to personalize healthcare. It was during his work with the Wellderly Study (2007) that Dr. Topol learned that SuperAgers do not differ from their peers in terms of biological or genetic makeup; rather, lifestyle choices, attitude, mental wellness, exercise, and a regular sleep schedule are the common bonds among SuperAgers he studied.

AI can now be used to gather and integrate a person’s data on multiple levels to predict and minimize the risk of disease and optimize wellness. This long-range forecasting allows for rapid intervention, an advancement Dr. Topol calls an “unparalleled opportunity” to target when and how to maximize health outcomes.

Many studies, however, show inconsistent or inconclusive results, with findings that different SuperAgers have different habits. According to Dr. Tessa Harrison of the University of California, Berkeley, a colleague of Dr. Rogalski, research into the possibility of molecular-level resistance in the brain may give insights into SuperAger abilities. Other researchers posit that exercise during middle-age may contribute to cognitive resilience later in life.

William J. Kole, journalist and author of The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging cites a striking Stanford Center on Longevity statistic: half of all current five-year-olds will live to be 100. He notes the importance of not just longevity, but living well, a term he calls a person’s “healthspan.”

Continuing research using AI and neuroimaging will explore both living long and well, shedding new light on the extraordinary abilities of SuperAgers.

While research into SuperAgers continues, what is clear are the factors of everyday living that prevent disease and promote health: where and how we live are formative to our wellbeing because they shape lifestyle choices. A community that applies research-based knowledge of optimal senior living is able to provide the very best for its residents.

Come explore Plymouth Harbor and learn more about this extraordinary community where the wellbeing of our residents is priority one. Call 941-365-2600 to schedule your private tour and discover why life truly is better on Sarasota Bay!