Oxidized cholesterol species as signaling molecules in the brain: diabetes and Alzheimer's disease

Thaddeus K Weigel; Joshua A Kulas; Heather A Ferris

doi:10.1042/NS20190068

Oxidized cholesterol species as signaling molecules in the brain: diabetes and Alzheimer's disease

Neuronal Signal. 2019 Dec;3(4):NS20190068. doi: 10.1042/NS20190068. Epub 2019 Nov 28.

Authors

Thaddeus K Weigel¹, Joshua A Kulas^{1

2}, Heather A Ferris^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, U.S.A.
² Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, U.S.A.

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is associated with adverse central nervous system effects, including a doubled risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and increased risk of cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms connecting diabetes to cognitive decline and dementia are unknown. One possible link between these diseases may be the associated alterations to cholesterol oxidation and metabolism in the brain. We will survey evidence demonstrating alterations to oxysterols in the brain in AD and diabetes and how these oxysterols could contribute to pathology, as well as identifying research questions that have not yet been addressed to allow for a fuller understanding of the role of oxysterols in AD and diabetes.

Keywords: Alzheimers disease; cholesterol; oxysterols; type 2 diabetes.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

T32 GM139787/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States