Cholesterol drives Alzheimer’s plaque formation, study finds

Alzheimer's disease
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Credit: public domain

Cholesterol manufactured in the brain appears to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, new research indicates.

Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and their collaborators found that produced by cells called astrocytes is required for controlling the production of beta, a sticky protein that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s. The protein accumulates into insoluble plaques that are a hallmark of the . Many efforts have targeted these plaques in the hope that removing or preventing them could treat or…

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