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Related Concept Videos

Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship01:22

Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship

Cholinergic agonists or cholinomimetics mimic the action of acetylcholine to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. They are categorized into direct-acting and indirect-acting agents. The direct-acting cholinergic drugs induce the parasympathetic response by directly binding to the muscarinic or nicotine receptors. In comparison, the indirect-acting cholinergic drugs prevent acetylcholine hydrolysis, indirectly contributing to the extended parasympathetic response.
The direct-acting...
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacological Actions00:59

Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacological Actions

Direct-acting cholinergic agonists exert their pharmacological actions by mimicking the effects of acetylcholine on postsynaptic muscarinic receptors to generate parasympathetic responses. These agents elicit a range of physiological responses, including cardiovascular effects. For example, activation of muscarinic receptors induces bradycardia, decreased cardiac output, reduced peripheral resistance, and consequent hypotension. In the eye, stimulation of M3 receptors leads to smooth muscle...
Cholinergic Receptors: Nicotinic01:15

Cholinergic Receptors: Nicotinic

Nicotinic receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that are activated by acetylcholine and nicotine. Upon activation, they cause a rapid increase in the permeability of cells to K+, Na+, and Ca2+, followed by depolarization and excitation. They are in the autonomic ganglia, skeletal neuromuscular junction, CNS, and adrenal medulla.
There are two types of nicotinic receptors: neuromuscular (NM/NM/N1) and neuronal (NN/NN/N2). The two families differ based on their location and selectivity to...
Cholinergic Neurons: Neurotransmission01:23

Cholinergic Neurons: Neurotransmission

Cholinergic neurotransmission involves the synthesis and the release of acetylcholine (ACh) in order to transmit nerve impulses across the synapse. The process begins with the synthesis of acetyl CoA, a precursor for ACh, from ATP, acetate, and coenzyme A in the mitochondria. Choline, another vital precursor, is transported inside the neuron through choline transporters, including high-affinity choline transporter CHT1, low-affinity choline transporter CTL1, and lower-affinity choline...
Parasympathetic Signaling01:30

Parasympathetic Signaling

Parasympathetic signaling plays a crucial role in regulating various physiological processes. It involves the release of acetylcholine (ACh) by parasympathetic neurons, which can have localized and short-lived effects. The majority of ACh released is rapidly inactivated at the synapse by the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which hydrolyzes Ach into choline and acetate. Additionally, the tissue cholinesterase deactivates any ACh diffusing into the surrounding tissues.
The effects of...
Cholinergic Receptors: Muscarinic01:25

Cholinergic Receptors: Muscarinic

The pharmacological actions of acetylcholine are elicited via its binding to two families of cholinergic receptors or cholinoceptors, namely, muscarinic and nicotinic receptors. Muscarinic receptors are G protein-coupled receptors and have five subtypes, M1–M5. All mAChR subtypes are activated by acetylcholine and blocked by the antagonist, atropine. 
The subtypes M1, M3, and M5 couple with the Gq subunit and activate the phospholipase C (PLC) activity, mobilizing intracellular Ca2+. Activation...

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Related Experiment Video

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Environmental Modulations of the Number of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons in Adult Mice
09:35

Environmental Modulations of the Number of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons in Adult Mice

Published on: January 20, 2015

Stimulus-driven competition in a cholinergic midbrain nucleus.

Ali Asadollahi1, Shreesh P Mysore, Eric I Knudsen

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. asad@stanford.edu

Nature Neuroscience
|June 8, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The brain

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Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Sensory Processing

Background:

  • The brain's mechanism for selecting visual targets is not fully understood.
  • The nucleus isthmi pars parvocellularis (Ipc) in owls shows potential for bottom-up stimulus selection.
  • Cholinergic pathways are crucial for attention and gaze control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the nucleus isthmi pars parvocellularis (Ipc) in stimulus selection.
  • To understand how Ipc neurons encode stimulus salience.
  • To explore the functional properties of Ipc in relation to gaze control.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings from Ipc neurons in owls.
  • Analysis of neuronal responses to various visual and auditory stimuli.
  • Investigation of information propagation to the optic tectum.

Main Results:

  • Ipc neurons encode the relative strengths of stimuli across space, not specific feature values.
  • Many Ipc neurons exhibit switch-like responses, activating when a stimulus becomes the strongest.
  • This information is transmitted to the optic tectum via periodic cholinergic bursts (25-50 Hz).

Conclusions:

  • Ipc neurons function as a salience map, crucial for bottom-up stimulus selection.
  • The findings provide insights into the neural basis of spatial attention and gaze control.
  • The study highlights the role of cholinergic signaling in directing attention.