If both of your parents suffer from Alzheimer's disease, you are more likely to develop Alzheimer-related brain changes early.

A new study published in the Journal Neurology Feb. 12 has shown that adults whose parents were afflicted by Alzheimer's were more likely to show certain abnormalities in their brain scans that are associated with the disease.

For the study, researchers from the New York University School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York had 52 people who were between the 32 and 72 years old with normal mental function undergo several brain scans.

The researchers also divided the subjects into four groups: those whose mother had Alzheimer's disease, a father, both parents, and those who do not have any family history of the disease.

The researchers found that the subjects whose parents both had Alzheimer's disease, had more abnormalities in their brain volume and metabolism that are linked to Alzheimer's. They had, for instance, five to 10 percent more brain plaques compared to the subjects in the other groups.

"Studies show that by the time people come in for a diagnosis, there may be a large amount of irreversible brain damage already present," said lead study author Lisa Mosconi, from NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "This is why it is ideal that we find signs of the disease in high-risk people before symptoms occur."

The researchers also observed that the subjects whose mother had Alzheimer's disease had more of the disease's biomarkers than those whose father had Alzheimer's supporting previous studies that showed people whose mothers had Alzheimer's were more likely to develop the disease than those whose fathers suffered from the condition.

"Our study also suggests that there might be genes that predispose individuals to develop brain Alzheimer's pathology as a function of whether one parent or both parents have the disease," Mosconi said. "We do not yet know which genes, if any, are responsible for these early changes, and we hope that our study will be helpful to future genetic investigations."

For people with a family history of Alzheimer's, Mosconi advised that they focus on having a healthy lifestyle such as engaging in regular exercise and having a healthy diet since obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol have been found to increase risks of Alzheimer's. She also said that while the study does not prove a cause and effect relationship, there are plenty of reasons to have a healthy lifestyle.