Cholinergic influences on use-dependent plasticity
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Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Published on: September 20, 2024
L Sawaki1, B Boroojerdi, A Kaelin-Lang
1Human Cortical Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Motor practice elicits use-dependent plasticity in humans as well as in animals. Given the influence of cholinergic neurotransmission on learning and memory processes, we evaluated the effects of scopolamine (a muscarinic receptor antagonist) on use-dependent plasticity and corticomotor excitability in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized design study. Use-dependent plasticity was substantially attenuated by scopolamine in the absence of global changes in corticomotor excitability. These results identify a facilitatory role for cholinergic influences in use-dependent plasticity in the human motor system.
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