Posted at: 02/13/2014 4:35 PM
By: WNYT Staff
People who have two parents with Alzheimer’s disease may have brain abnormalities long before any symptoms appear.
Researchers at NYU studied brain scans of 52 people without dementia, as well as their family histories of Alzheimer's disease.
Those who had both parents diagnosed with Alzheimer's had more changes in brain volume and more brain plaque than people with one afflicted parent or no family history of the disease.
Experts stress the importance of early screenings for people at high risk, even when there are no symptoms.