Variance in subclinical levels of β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in younger adults is meaningful, and suggests that higher amyloid deposition relative to one's peers at a younger age is not entirely benign, a recent study found. Researchers examined the relationship of Aβ deposition to episodic memory in younger (30–49 years), middle-older (50–69 years), and older adults (70–89 years). A total of 147 participants from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study underwent PET imaging and cognitive assessment. They found:

• There was a significant association of age to amyloid burden for younger and middle-older adults, but not for the oldest group, although absolute level of amyloid increased across the age groups.
• The youngest group showed a significant decrease in recall and recognition memory as a function of increases in Aβ burden, whereas this relationship was absent in the middle-older and oldest group.