Signs of Alzheimer's Disease can be found earlier than expected

According to the New York Times, signs of Alzheimer's disease can be found years before the individual develops the first symptoms of the disease. the studies, published in the journal Lancet Neurology, show how scientists used an extended family that had 5,000 individuals who had a genetic ancestor with Alzheimer's. it showed how the researchers could find changes in the brain that were connected to the disease almost 20 years before the person showed any actual mental deterioration. in this family, the changes in the brain were shown as early as 18 to 26 years of age. the actual signs of mental deterioration didn't appear until the individuals were about 45 years old and reached the dementia stage at 53 years old.

The changes in the brain occur earlier than the formation of the plaques that cause the disease. the protein called beta amyloid is the milestone  for the disease. it is known that this protein is found at a higher than normal level in the body and it is found in the spinal cord of a young adult. the researchers believe that the memory encoding proteins in the brain are being overworked at this young age. this shows that the individual will eventually have Alzheimer's because by the time these proteins are suppose to be working harder, they won't be able to.

They also noticed that the areas in the brain that will be modified by the disease will be smaller than individuals who will not be affected by the disease. this family was a perfect tool for research because about a third of this family is attacked by Alzheimer's by the time they are in the midlife. they also have a rare type of this disease which is caused by a genetic mutation.  with such a large sample size, the researchers were able to identify who would have the disease and who wouldn't.

Being able to identify whether a person will have Alzheimer's is a great tool to have. this is help individuals find a way to prevent or slow down the effects of the disease. it was fascinating to know that the researchers were able to pin point who in the family would get the disease. they were able to find several mutations that would affect an individual and would help the disease progress. they used many different techniques to find their results including brain imaging and research about mutations and proteins.