SuperAgers' Memory Not Linked to Lower Alzheimer's Genetic Risk

A multi‑site study of 142 adults aged 80 and older with exceptional episodic memory (dubbed "SuperAgers") and 89 cognitively average peers was conducted across five research sites in the United States and Canada. Researchers from the University of Chicago's Healthy Aging & Alzheimer’s Research Care (HAARC) Center and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) examined DNA for the APOE gene—the strongest known Alzheimer’s risk factor—and calculated three polygenic risk scores that aggregate thousands of risk variants. The analysis found no meaningful differences between SuperAgers and controls in APOE status, polygenic risk scores, or rare protective variants. Consequently, the superior memory of SuperAgers cannot be explained by a lower inherited risk for Alzheimer’s disease. The authors conclude that preserving cognitive function in late life must involve factors beyond traditional disease‑risk genetics, urging further investigation of protective biological pathways and lifestyle influences.