In an effort to identify the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease, neuroscientists from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine studied the brains of individuals who died prematurely from other causes.

They found that even normal people in their 20s begin to show accumulation of the abnormal brain protein amyloid that is a hallmark of the disease.

The presence of amyloid buildup in these brain regions is required for doctors to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Subjects in the study ranged in age from 20 to 90, and the older the subject the higher the accumulation of amyloid.

These results are consistent with the idea that Alzheimer’s disease is a lifelong process and only when the accumulation of these brain abnormalities reaches a critical level do Alzheimer’s symptoms become apparent.