Cholesterol Essential for Brain Functions
Cholesterol in the brain is key to the cell connections needed for memory and learning. Past research suggested that brain "support cells" known as glial cells, produced a substance that allowed the brain's nerve cells, or neurons, to communicate.
Glial cells appeared to churn out their own cholesterol supply. The researchers focused on cholesterol in experiments with cells in which the lipid triggered the formation of synapses -- the connections through which nerve cells communicate. Hence the availability of cholesterol appeared to limit synapse development.
In addition, the investigators found that when cultured alone, neurons produced some cholesterol. But only when glial cells were present, was there a cholesterol supply sufficient for "massive" synapse formation.
Cholesterol levels in the blood do not determine the brain's supply, as blood cholesterol molecules are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a mechanism that strictly controls the type of molecule allowed to enter into the brain from blood vessels.
The Science (November 9, 2001;294:1354-1357) noted that according to the researchers, these findings suggested that any "genetic or age-related defects" in the brain's cholesterol use may impair the circuitry behind mental functioning.
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