Why some people in their 80s stay mentally sharp
Study to Uncover Pathways to Exceptional Cognitive Resilience in Aging (SUPERAging)
The project compares people aged 80+ with unusually strong memory to typical older adults to find factors that protect thinking and memory.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11381478 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
A consortium of five sites across the U.S. and Canada will enroll 500 older adults, including people labeled 'SuperAgers' and cognitively average controls. Participants will have memory testing, brain imaging, blood and other biospecimen collection, genetic analyses, and questionnaires about health and lifestyle. When available, neuropathology data from brain tissue will be included to link brain changes with preserved cognition. All data will be combined and analyzed by centralized cores to look for biological, psychosocial, and environmental patterns tied to exceptional memory in late life.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults age 80 or older who either have unusually strong memory for their age (SuperAgers) or are cognitively average older adults willing to undergo tests, scans, and sample collection.
Not a fit: People under about 80 or those with advanced dementia are unlikely to meet the SuperAger criteria and would not directly benefit from joining this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal biological, lifestyle, or social factors that help prevent memory decline and guide new prevention or treatment approaches.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller, single-site SuperAger studies have identified brain and biological differences, and this larger multicenter effort builds on and expands those findings.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- University of Chicago — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rogalski, Emily J — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Rogalski, Emily J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.