Cholesterol and the Brain

     About one quarter of the cholesterol in the human body is located in the brain. Almost all of this cholesterol is manufactured within the brain itself, since cholesterol can not cross the blood brain barrier. A number of studies have suggested that low cholesterol can damage neurons and contribute to the development of dementia. This raises the question of whether statin medications which block cholesterol synthesis in the body, including in the brain, might not cause damage to brain cells. Henry Lorin makes a powerful argument along this line in his book Alzheimer's Solved.
References:
Lorin, Henry,
Alzheimer's Solved, www.booksurge.com, 2005.
Bjorkhem, Ingemar and Meaney, Steve, Brain cholesterol: Long secret life behind a barrier,
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2004;24:806-815.