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Updated: May 11, 2026

Probing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Function in Mouse Brain Slices via Laser Flash Photolysis of Photoactivatable Nicotine
Published on: January 25, 2019
[Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in Alzheimer's disease]
1Department of Neurology, Okayama University Medical School.
Abstract:
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) mediates pleiotropic actions in brain not only for nicotinic neurotransmission but also glutamatergic, dopaminergic, norepinephrinergic, GABAergic, and serotonergic transmissions, especially through allosteric potentiating ligand (APL) action. Because nAChR is rich in thalamus, the direct stimulation of nAChR through APL action is expected to show increasing function of cerebral cortex and limbic system through thalamic activation. In fact, a choline esterase inhibitor with this APL action such as galantamine exerts both cognitive and affective improvements which is called dual benefit for Alzheimer's disease patients.
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