This study investigated the effects of cholesterol on cell death in the brain using hippocampal cell cultures as a model system. The study found that reducing cholesterol levels in the cultures exacerbated cell membrane damage and mitochondria injury caused by glutamate exposure. Removing cellular cholesterol also reduced gliosis but impaired the ability of cells to repair after glutamate exposure. These results suggest that cholesterol plays an important role in modulating excitotoxic cell death and the brain's repair mechanisms, and that altered cholesterol metabolism may contribute to neurological disorders.