Cholesterol, A beta and Alzheimer's disease.

Statins have been used for many years for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. They lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and are considered to be very safe. Recently, a set of potential new applications was identified for statins. In the future, these drugs could be used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). Past studies have suggested a link between AD and lipids and a series of reports has recently been published that significantly tightens this link and also provides some explanations at the cellular level. This review focuses on these recent developments and perspectives that appear to link cholesterol, beta-amyloid and AD.