Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Cholinergic neurons have an effect on other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Down syndrome. [2] [3] [15] As with Alzheimer's, the degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and the decrease in the neurotransmitter acetylcholine have a drastic effect on behavioral and cognitive function. [2]
An acetylcholine receptor (abbreviated AChR) or a cholinergic receptor is an integral membrane protein that responds to the binding of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Classification [ edit ]
Acetylcholine is a choline molecule that has been acetylated at the oxygen atom. Because of the charged ammonium group, acetylcholine does not penetrate lipid membranes. . Because of this, when the molecule is introduced externally, it remains in the extracellular space and at present it is considered that the molecule does not pass through the blood–brain
Choline acetyltransferase was first described by David Nachmansohn and A. L. Machado in 1943. [6] A German biochemist, Nachmansohn had been studying the process of nerve impulse conduction and utilization of energy-yielding chemical reactions in cells, expanding upon the works of Nobel laureates Otto Warburg and Otto Meyerhof on fermentation, glycolysis, and muscle contraction.
They function as inhibitory autoreceptors for acetylcholine. Activation of M 4 receptors inhibits acetylcholine release in the striatum. The M 2 subtype of acetylcholine receptor functions similarly as an inhibitory autoreceptor to acetylcholine release, albeit functioning actively primarily in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex.
Neuromodulation is the physiological process by which a given neuron uses one or more chemicals to regulate diverse populations of neurons. Neuromodulators typically bind to metabotropic, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) to initiate a second messenger signaling cascade that induces a broad, long-lasting signal.
The experimental analysis of behavior is a science that studies the behavior of individuals across a variety of species. A key early scientist was B. F. Skinner who discovered operant behavior, reinforcers, secondary reinforcers, contingencies of reinforcement, stimulus control, shaping, intermittent schedules, discrimination, and generalization.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine . They are found in the central and peripheral nervous system, muscle, and many other tissues of many organisms.