HealthDay (4/13, Preidt) reports that prior to the development of symptoms, “the brains of people with early Alzheimer’s disease have high levels of amyloid protein plaques,” researchers concluded in the “first findings from the so-called A4 study funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging.” Launched six years ago, the ongoing A4 study is “investigating whether the drug solanezumab can slow mental decline associated with elevated amyloids if people start taking it before Alzheimer’s symptoms emerge.” It is also “the first to use PET to identify people with high levels of amyloid but no signs of mental (‘cognitive’) decline.” The study, which has screened about “4,500 older adults,” reveals that high levels of amyloid plaques “in older adults with no dementia symptoms are associated with a family history of disease, lower scores on thinking/memory tests, and declines in daily mental function.” (SOURCE: APA Headline)