Markers of cholesterol transport are associated with amyloid deposition in the brain

Cholesterol is implicated in the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). We sought to determine the associations between beta amyloid (Aβ) plaque deposition in vivo using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and several indices of cholesterol homeostasis (i.e., total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein E (ApoE), clusterin, oxysterol metabolites of cholesterol, and previously reported genes associated with late-onset AD) in 175 nondemented elderly subjects. High Aβ deposition was associated significantly with a lower Mini-Mental State Examination score (<27 points, p = 0.04), high systolic blood pressure (p = 0.04), carrying the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele (p < 0.01), and lower plasma ApoE levels (p = 0.02), and variation in the ABCA7 (p = 0.02) and EPHA1 genes (p = 0.02). Cholesterol measures were not related to Aβ deposition in this cohort of nondemented elderly adults. However, plasma and genetic factors relating to cholesterol transport were associated with Aβ deposition in the brain. A better understanding of cholesterol transport mechanisms may lead to the design of potential targets for the prevention of Aβ deposition in the brain.