ST. LOUIS, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say the part of the brain young people use for daydreaming appears to be the place where Alzheimer's disease begins.
Randy Buckner of Washington University in St. Louis told Newsday daily activity in that part of the brain may cause damage that leaves the victim unable to connect thought to action or deal with a string of thoughts.
Buckner and his colleagues scanned the brains of 760 adults when they were doing nothing, getting a picture of the "default" state when people are not concentrating on mental tasks.
"It may be the normal cognitive function of the brain that leads to Alzheimer's later in life," Buckner said.
Scientists believe Alzheimer's begin early in life, even though it does not manifest itself in most victims until later years. Longitudinal studies have shown people who do well on high school IQ tests are less likely to get Alzheimer's and, in a study where nuns were asked to keep journals, those who gave the most detail were also more likely to avoid Alzheimer's.
