A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of plaques of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in
the brain. Aβ is thought to be formed from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in cholesterol-
enriched membrane rafts, and cellular cholesterol depletion decreases Aβ formation. The
liver X receptors (LXR) play a key role in regulating genes that control cellular cholesterol
efflux and membrane composition and are widely expressed in cells of the central nervous
system. We show that treatment of APP-expressing cells with LXR activators reduces the …