Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Beta-amyloid peptides as direct cholinergic neuromodulators: a missing link?

D S Auld¹, S Kar, R Quirion

¹Douglas Hospital Research Center and the Dept of Neurology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Trends in Neurosciences

|February 17, 1998

Summary

Beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain deposits inhibits cholinergic functions. This Abeta-induced hypoactivity may explain neuronal vulnerability and have broader physiological implications.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Medium- and short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase gene and protein families : The role of zinc for alcohol dehydrogenase structure and function.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS·2008

Same author

Zinc binding to peptide analogs of the structural zinc site in alcohol dehydrogenase: implications for an entatic state.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS·2008

Same author

Zinc coordination sphere in biochemical zinc sites.

Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine·2002

Same author

Nerve growth factor rapidly induces prolonged acetylcholine release from cultured basal forebrain neurons: differentiation between neuromodulatory and neurotrophic influences.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2001

Same author

Neurotrophins differentially enhance acetylcholine release, acetylcholine content and choline acetyltransferase activity in basal forebrain neurons.

Journal of neurochemistry·2001

Same author

Subunit composition of the zinc proteins alpha- and beta-lipovitellin from chicken.

Journal of protein chemistry·2000

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biochemistry
Pathology

Background:

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by Beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) deposits and cholinergic system degeneration.
The relationship between Abeta accumulation and cholinergic dysfunction in AD remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the direct effects of Abeta on cholinergic neurotransmitter functions.
To explore the potential mechanisms linking Abeta to cholinergic neuronal vulnerability in AD.

Main Methods:

Studies involving the application of Abeta to cholinergic systems.
Assessment of cholinergic neurotransmitter function inhibition by Abeta.

Main Results:

Abeta potently inhibits cholinergic neurotransmitter functions at picomolar to nanomolar concentrations.

Related Experiment Videos

These inhibitory effects occur independently of overt neurotoxicity.

Abeta secretion by brain cells suggests potential physiological roles.

Conclusions:

Abeta's direct inhibition of cholinergic function may contribute to the specific vulnerability of cholinergic neurons in AD.
Abeta-induced cholinergic hypoactivity could have both pathological and physiological significance in the brain.