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Background: Evidence has revealed an association between familial hypercholesterolemia and cognitive impairment. In this regard, a connection between cognitive deficits and hippocampal blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown was found in low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice (LDLr–/–), a mouse model of familial hypercholesterolemia. Objective: Herein we investigated the impact of a hypercholesterolemic diet on cognition and BBB function in C57BL/6 wild-type and LDLr–/–mice.

Methods: Animals were fed with normal or high cholesterol diets for 30 days. Thus, wild-type and LDLr–/–mice were submitted to memory paradigms. Additionally, BBB integrity was evaluated in the mice’s prefrontal cortices and hippocampi. Results: A tenfold elevation in plasma cholesterol levels of LDLr–/–mice was observed after a hypercholesterolemic diet, while in wild-type mice, the hypercholesterolemic diet exposure …