They are called "Super-Agers" but I call them "Super Seniors'.

"Super-Agers" are 80 and above who are in good shape mentally and physically. I know many people who fall into that category who can't relate to peers stuck in the past, discussing their health issues and dramas. Like myself they lead productive lives and many still work. Generally there is no substance abuse, mental illness, or excessive stress. It's all about DNA programming, quality of life, and the brain.

A SuperAger is someone in their 80s or older who exhibits cognitive function that is comparable to that of an average middle-aged individual. Additionally, this group has been shown to exhibit less brain volume loss. Aging causes changes to the brain size, vasculature, and cognition. The brain shrinks creating changes at all levels from molecules to morphology. SuperAgers have the mental faculties of people decades younger. ~ Google

SuperAgers have distinctly different looking brains than those of normal older people, according to new Northwestern Medicine research that is beginning to reveal why the memories of these cognitively elite elders don't suffer the usual ravages of time. SuperAgers have memories that are as sharp as those of healthy persons decades younger. Cognitive SuperAgers were first identified in 2007 by scientists at Northwestern's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Their unusual brain signature has three common components when compared with normal persons of similar ages: a thicker region of the cortex; significantly fewer tangles (a primary marker of Alzheimer's disease) and a whopping supply of a specific neuron linked to higher social intelligence. Read more from NBC News

Finding role models who are older than we are gets more difficult as we age. But in the last few years, medical science has identified a new group we can aspire to join - the super-agers. The term refers to people in their 70s and 80s who have the mental or physical capability of their decades-younger counterparts. Read more from Harvard Health

80-year-old SuperAger brain operates like that of a 50-year-old. Here's why   CNN - August 7, 2025

The human brain shrinks as it ages, affecting the ability to remember - it's part of life. Yet there are a lucky few, called SuperAgers, who possess a brain that fights back. For these people, memories stay as sharp as they were 30 or more years in the past. To be a SuperAger in a program at Northwestern, a person must be over 80 and undergo extensive cognitive testing. Acceptance in the study only occurs if the person's episodic memory - the ability to recall everyday events and past personal history - is as good or better than cognitively normal people in their 50s and 60s.

The first 25 years of SuperAger research show cognitive decline is not an inevitable part of aging   Medical Express - August 7, 2025

For 25 years, scientists at Northwestern Medicine have been studying individuals aged 80 and older - dubbed "SuperAgers" - to better understand what makes them tick. These unique individuals, who show outstanding memory performance at a level consistent with individuals who are at least three decades younger, challenge the long-held belief that cognitive decline is an inevitable part of aging. Over the quarter-century of research, the scientists have seen some notable lifestyle and personality differences between SuperAgers and those aging typically - such as being social and gregarious - but "it's really what we've found in their brains that's been so earth-shattering for us," said Dr. Sandra Weintraub, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Exceptional memory performance: SuperAgers score at least 9 out of 15 on a delayed word recall test - on par with individuals in their 50s and 60s. Youthful brain structure: Unlike typically aging brains, SuperAgers show no significant thinning of their cortex - the outer layer of the brain - and even have a thicker anterior cingulate cortex than younger adults. This crucial region of the brain plays a significant role in integrating information related to decision-making, emotion and motivation. Unique cellular traits: SuperAgers have more von economo neurons, which are specialized cells linked to social behavior, and larger entorhinal neurons, which are critical for memory, than their typically aging peers. Sociability as a common trait: Despite having diverse lifestyles and varying approaches to exercise, SuperAgers tend to be highly social and report strong interpersonal relationships.