Sunday, March 18, 2012

Why The Brain Needs Cholesterol

Why the brain needs cholesterol:


There is a direct correlation between the concentration of cholesterol in the brain, particularly in the myelin, and how well the brain functions.


The brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in the body.
...
In the central nervous system (CNS), essentially all (99.5%) cholesterol is the free or unesterified form (unattached to fatty acids).

The majority (70%) of cholesterol present in the CNS is believed to reside in the myelin (the material that insulates the nerve fibers) sheaths and the plasma membranes of astrocytes (brain support cells) and neurons.

Half of the white matter, which contains the nerve axons that allow for transmission of brain signals, may be composed of cholesterol-rich myelin.
http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/cholesterol.asp

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