Basal Forebrain Cholinergic System: Studies on Intrinsic Physiology and Connectivity

OF THE DISSERTATION........................................................................ ii PREFACE ......................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. viii TABLES .......................................................................................................................... xiii FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Acetylcholine: From synthesis to removal ................................................................ 4 1.3 Acetylcholine receptors .............................................................................................. 4 1.4 Historical notes about the structure and function of the BFc system .................... 8 1.5 General anatomical and physiological features of the basal forebrain (BF) ....... 10 1.5.1 Cellular composition of the BF .......................................................................................... 12 1.5.2 Basic electrophysiological properties of BF neurons ........................................................ 13 1.6 BF cholinergic (BFc) neurons .................................................................................. 15 1.6.1 Inputs to BFc neurons ....................................................................................................... 16 1.6.2 General organization of BFc projections to target structures .......................................... 17 1.6.3 Morphological features of BFc neurons ............................................................................ 18 1.6.4 Similarity of dendritic orientations between neighboring BFc neurons ........................... 18 1.6.5 Neurochemical heterogeneity of BFc neurons ................................................................. 20 1.7 Functions of the BF in general ................................................................................. 21