A scientist has raised concerns about the effect of cholesterol-lowering drugs on human brain function.

Yeon-Kyun Shin of Iowa State University said that commonly prescribed statins may affect how the brain processes data and memories.

He explained that statins work by preventing the liver from making cholesterol, but these medications also directly affect the production of cholesterol in the brain.

“If you deprive cholesterol from the brain, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters,” he said. “Cholesterol changes the shape of the protein to stimulate thinking and memory.”

The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest statins may be good for blood cholesterol but bad for brain cholesterol.

However, although reduced brain cholesterol may negatively impact memory and thinking, Shin was clear that consuming more cholesterol does not make a person smarter. This is because cholesterol in the blood cannot get past a barrier to reach the brain.

Some people who are looking for ways to boost their cardiovascular health have turned to oral chelation.