Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Probing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Function in Mouse Brain Slices via Laser Flash Photolysis of Photoactivatable Nicotine
Published on: January 25, 2019
Involvement of Nicotinic Receptors in Working Memory Function
Veronica C Galvin1, Amy F T Arnsten1, Min Wang2
1Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Abstract:
The prefrontal cortex underlies our high order cognitive abilities and is the target of projections from many neuromodulatory nuclei. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is particularly critical for rule representation and working memory, or the ability to hold information "in mind" in the absence of sensory input. Emerging evidence supports a prominent and permissive role for acetylcholine in these excitatory circuits, through actions at cholinergic nicotinic receptors. Here we review the involvement of acetylcholine in working memory via actions at nicotinic receptors.
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