Acetylcholine Systems and Receptors Flashcards
Describe cholinergic neurotransmission
- Neuromuscular junctions
- CNS
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
- Preganglionic neurons of the sympathetic and parasympathetic
branch - Ganglionic neurons of the parasympathetic branch
Describe fight or flight
Sympathetic ANS
Describe conservation and relaxation
Parasympathetic ANS
What are agonists of muscarinic receptors?
parasympathomimetic, as they mimic effects of activation of the parasympathetic nervous system
What are antagonists of muscarinic receptors?
parasympatholytic, as they inhibit parasympathetic functions
Describe the BCFS
basal forebrain cholinergic system Learning, memory, and attention
Describe the striatum
Involved in motor function
Describe dorsolateral pons
Involved in arousal (reticular activating system) and addictions
What is the BCFS?
- Cholinergic neurons located in medial septum, diagonal band nuclei, nucleus basalis, and substantia innominate
- Projections to cortex, hippocampus, amygdala
- Loss of BFCS cholinergic neurons is associated with cognitive
decline in Alzheimer’s disease - Implicated in memory and attention
What is atropine?
- Plant alkyloid found in the nightshade plant
- Antagonist of the muscarinic Ach receptor
- Administered opthalamologically to dilate pupils
- Parasympatholytic effect (inhibiting
parasympathetic system) - BBB permeable
- Oral administration inhibits cognition in animals (acquisition and maintenance of learning tasks)
Describe the role of ACH and the BCFS in cognition
- Administrationofatropineortherelatedscopolamineisamnesiacinhumans
- Scopolamine and morphine was a drug combination often administered during labour in the early- mid 20th CE
- Scopolamine induces a ‘twilight sleep’ avoiding both the pain and memory of labour (discontinued due to adverse effects on newborns)
- ACh thought to be important for memory consolidation (esp. episodic) due to innervation of the hippocampus
- Alternately proposed to affect memory through effects on attention and sensory discrimination
What did micro dialysis research show?
Using microdialysis researchers showed that ACh levels increased during tasks requiring sustained attention more so than comparative tasks.
What is the operant control task?
reward task e.g. lever press for food reward
What is a FI9-s schedule of reinforcement?
operant reward task with a predictable delay
Describe saporin
Protein toxin isolated from soapwort plant
(Saponaria officinalis)
Water soluble toxin
Highly specific inhibitor of ribosome function (ribosome inactivating protein – RIP)
Can be conjugated to antibodies to target specific cell types (investigated as anti-cancer agent)