Cholesterol is implicated in the development of late-onset Alzheimer's disease 
(AD). We sought to determine the associations between beta amyloid (Aβ) plaque 
deposition in vivo using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and several indices of 
cholesterol homeostasis (i.e., total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein 
cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein 
E (ApoE), clusterin, oxysterol metabolites of cholesterol, and previously 
reported genes associated with late-onset AD) in 175 nondemented elderly 
subjects. High Aβ deposition was associated significantly with a lower 
Mini-Mental State Examination score (<27 points, p = 0.04), high systolic blood 
pressure (p = 0.04), carrying the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele (p < 0.01), 
and lower plasma ApoE levels (p = 0.02), and variation in the ABCA7 (p = 0.02) 
and EPHA1 genes (p = 0.02). Cholesterol measures were not related to Aβ 
deposition in this cohort of nondemented elderly adults. However, plasma and 
genetic factors relating to cholesterol transport were associated with Aβ 
deposition in the brain. A better understanding of cholesterol transport 
mechanisms may lead to the design of potential targets for the prevention of Aβ 
deposition in the brain.