Dysfunction of the brain cholinergic system during aging and after lesions of the nucleus basalis of Meynert

In order to establish how closely the models mimic aging and Alzheimer's disease, a comparison was made, using the extensive literature available, between brain cholinergic dysfunction in aging animals and man, and between that in animals with lesions of the nucleus basalis of Meynert and in subjects affected by Alzheimer's disease. It is concluded that cholinergic dysfunction in the aging rat closely resembles that in aging man. A similarity can also be found between the cortical dysfunction induced by lesions of the nucleus basalis and that occurring in patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, cholinergic dysfunction only represents a limited aspect of the neorotransmitter deficits and neuropathological alterations of the disease.