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Cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease
Shobab LA, Hsiung GY, Feldman HH.. The Lancet. Neurology, 2005-12-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative dementia and affects up to 15 million people worldwide. Although no single cause of AD has been identified, recent research has suggested that several pathogenetic factors influence risk and expression. A growing amount of evidence underscores a mechanistic link between cholesterol metabolism in the brain and the formation of amyloid plaques. Excess brain cholesterol has been associated with increased formation and deposition of amyloid-beta peptide from amyloid precursor protein. Cholesterol-lowering statins have become a focus of research in AD. Genetic polymorphisms associated with pivotal points in cholesterol metabolism in brain tissues may contribute to the risk and pathogenesis of AD. In this review, we summarise current knowledge of the role of cholesterol metabolism in the pathogenesis of AD and examine the potential of statins in the prevention and treatment of AD.
Key findings
- Although no single cause of AD has been identified, recent research has suggested that several pathogenetic factors influence risk and expression.
- Excess brain cholesterol has been associated with increased formation and deposition of amyloid-beta peptide from amyloid precursor protein.
- Genetic polymorphisms associated with pivotal points in cholesterol metabolism in brain tissues may contribute to the risk and pathogenesis of AD.
Why it matters
This review reports that excess brain cholesterol has been associated with increased formation and deposition of amyloid-beta peptide, and that genetic polymorphisms in cholesterol metabolism may contribute to Alzheimer's disease risk and pathogenesis. It examines the potential of statins in prevention and treatment, but does not show that statins work.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 50/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Lancet. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Lancet Neurology: journal h-index 457 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2005 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 338 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.7 citations a year over 23 year(s) since 2005 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.3× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 15 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Howard Feldman: h-index 105 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of British Columbia: institution h-index 1,424 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16297842) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 50 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Shobab, L. A., Hsiung, G. Y., & Feldman, H. H. (2005). Cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease. The Lancet. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(05)70248-9
Vancouver
Shobab LA, Hsiung GY, Feldman HH. Cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease. The Lancet. Neurology. 2005. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(05)70248-9. PMID: 16297842.
BibTeX
@article{shobab2005-16297842,
author = {Shobab, L. A. and Hsiung, G. Y. and Feldman, H. H.},
title = {{Cholesterol in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {The Lancet. Neurology},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1016/s1474-4422(05)70248-9},
pmid = {16297842},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(05)70248-9}
}
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