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Updated: Dec 17, 2025

Live Imaging of Nicotine Induced Calcium Signaling and Neurotransmitter Release Along Ventral Hippocampal Axons
Published on: June 24, 2015
Do Nicotinic Receptors Modulate High-Order Cognitive Processing?
Fani Koukouli1, Jean-Pierre Changeux2
1Institut Pasteur, Department of Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 3571, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute (ICM), CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM U1127, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Recent studies provided strong evidence that deficits in cholinergic signaling cause disorders of cognition and affect conscious processing. Technical advances that combine molecular approaches, in vivo recordings in awake behaving animals, human brain imaging, and genetics have strengthened our understanding of the roles of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the modulation of cognitive behavior and network dynamics. Here, we review the emergent role of nAChRs in high-order cognitive processes and discuss recent work implicating cholinergic circuits in cognitive control, including conscious processing.
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