How is it that some people sail past their 80th birthday with the memory, concentration, and mental sharpness of someone in their fifties? The answer lies in what neuroscientists call brain resilience.
For the past 25 years, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA, has been studying this phenomenon, coining the term ‘Superagers’ for older individuals whose brains are ageing at a significantly slower rate than the norm.
Scientists have observed one key feature that sets Superagers apart. Their cerebral cortex—the outer layer of the brain associated with memory and reasoning—maintains a thickness comparable to that of individuals three decades younger. In most of us, this layer typically thins with age; in Superagers, it largely resists shrinkage. This rare form of neurological endurance is not yet fully explained, but it is clearly measurable.
Crucially, this is not purely a matter of genetics. One consistent factor relates to behaviour and lifestyle. Superagers tend to lead very socially active lives. They maintain close relationships, engage in frequent, stimulating conversations, and constantly interact with their surroundings. Their sociability appears to provide continuous cognitive training, strengthening the neural networks vital for attention and memory.
The Northwestern study aims to prevent cognitive decline and to understand why some brains defy the passage of time. Its findings suggest that cultivating curiosity, keeping strong social connections, and seeking out intellectual challenges may help the brain remain youthful and resilient for longer.
