If the amount of cholesterol is increased in a region of the phospholipid bilayer and then a FRAP (Fluorescent Recovery After Photobleaching) experiment is conducted in the same region of the bilayer, the result of the FRAP experiment (which is a method for analyzing how diffusion occurs through a little portion of photobleached cells or tissues, and observing fluorescence recovery over time) would show that recovery from photobleaching does not occur in the region of the phospholipid bilayer because of the formation of lipid rafts which is caused by the increase in the amount of cholesterol in the region of the bilayer, and prevents diffusion of the lipid rafts to other parts of the bilayer.
