What’s a Superager?

Scientists reserve the term for adults 80+ who score ≥9/15 on a delayed word-recall test (typical of someone in their 50s or 60s) and perform at least age-appropriate on other cognitive domains. In imaging and autopsy studies, many show youthful cortex thickness—especially in the anterior cingulate—and other brain features linked to emotion, motivation, and social behavior.

Why this matters

Across several cohorts, superagers often display slower brain volume loss, healthier entorhinal neurons, and more von Economo (“spindle”) neurons, cells tied to social/emotional processing—possible clues to resilience against Alzheimer’s pathology. It’s not destiny, but it’s a roadmap.

What the new Medscape piece highlights

• Definition & testing: That ≥9/15 memory benchmark remains the entry ticket.

• Lifestyle signals: Active midlife, regular physical exercise, attention to mental health, and tight control of cardiovascular risks (BP, blood sugar) consistently show up in superager histories.

• Big picture: Researchers study superagers to develop strategies that help more people avoid cognitive decline—not to hunt for a single “longevity gene.”

Important caveat: These findings are associations, not guarantees. Observational designs can’t prove cause-and-effect.

The (Likely) Edge: Social + Effortful

A recurring theme: rich social engagement and effortful mental work. People who stay socially connected and keep tackling hard things seem to fare better—possibly via those social-cognition circuits and immune/inflammatory differences seen in superagers.

Do-This-Week Plan (evidence-aligned, low friction)

1. Strength + Cardio “3×/2×”
   Do 3 short strength sessions (10–20 minutes; push/pull/legs/core) and 2 brisk walks (20–30 minutes). This hits brain-friendly fitness and cardiometabolic risk in one move.
2. One “Hard Thing” Daily
   Ten minutes of something that makes you think hard: new route memorization, language app, musical passage, or complex recipe—ideally with a human involved (class, club).
3. BP & Glucose Hygiene
   If you’re 45+, track home blood pressure and discuss A1c with your clinician. Treating hypertension and hyperglycemia protects the brain’s small vessels—the hardware your software runs on.

Bonus: Guard sleep, cut smoking, and manage hearing loss if present—each is tied to lower dementia risk in broader literature (not specific to the Medscape piece).

How We Use This at Movement Solutions

At Movement Solutions, we blend superager lessons into real life:

• Strength & balance programs that are hard enough to stimulate, not so hard you crash.
• Social accountability (partner or small group).

Sources & further reading

• Medscape, Inside the Science of Superagers (Sept 18, 2025). Medscape+2Medscape+2
• Northwestern University “SuperAging” program (definitions, imaging findings). Northwestern Now+1
• Peer-review/context on brain structure and volume loss in superagers. PMC+2PMC+2
• Popular summaries of the recent 25-year cohort (for accessible context). Science Focus+1