Lymphocytes express most components of the cholinergic system including acetylcholine (ACh), muscarinic and nicotinic ACh receptors (mAChRs and nAChRs, respectively), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), high affinity choline transporter and acetylcholinesterase. ACh and mAChR agonists elicit intracellular Ca2+ signaling, up-regulation of c-fos expression and nitric oxide synthesis within T and B ...

Introduction: Kisspeptin-13 (KP-13) is a novel endogenous factor, increases synaptic transmission and is involved in several behavioral functions such as anxiety, locomotion, epilepsy and avoidance learning. However, the role of this peptide on cognition has not been well clarified yet. Here we studied the effect of kisspeptin-13 pretreatment on spatial learning and also interaction with cholin...

Ischemic events have been hypothesized to play a critical role on the pathogenesis of dementia and the acceleration of cognitive impairments. This experiment was designed to determine the consequences of microvascular ischemia on the cortical cholinergic input system and associated attention capacities. Injections of microspheres ( approximately 50 microm diameter; approximately 5000 microspher...

The effects of methylmercury (MeHg) on components of the cholinergic system were evaluated in captive mink (Mustela vison). Cholinergic parameters were measured in brain regions (occipital cortex, cerebellum, brain stem, basal ganglia) and blood (whole blood, plasma, serum) following an 89-day exposure to MeHg at dietary concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2 ppm (n = 12 animals per treatment)...

Although the impairments in cognitive performance that result from shifting or disrupting daily rhythms have been demonstrated, the neuronal mechanisms that optimize fixed-time daily performance are poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that daily practice of a sustained attention task (SAT) evokes a diurnal activity pattern in rats. Here, we report that SAT practice at a fixed time pro...

Memory decline in human aging and dementia is linked to dysfunction of the cholinergic system. Aging dogs demonstrate cognitive impairments and neuropathology that models human aging and dementia. This paper reviews recent evidence suggesting cholinergic involvement in canine cognitive aging based on studies with the anti-cholinergic drug, scopolamine, and a novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitor...

The amygdala is innervated by the cholinergic system and is involved in major depressive disorder (MDD). Evidence suggests a hyper-activate cholinergic system in MDD. Hippocampal Cholinergic Neurostimulating Peptide (HCNP) regulates acetylcholine synthesis. The aim of the present work was to investigate expression levels of HCNP-precursor protein (HCNP-pp) mRNA and other cholinergic-related gen...

Magnocellular neurons in the basal forebrain provide the major cholinergic innervation of cortex. Recent research suggests that this cholinergic system plays an important role in the regulation of attentional processes. The present study examined the ability of rats with selective immunotoxic lesions of these neurons (made with 192 IgG-saporin) to modulate attention within an associative learni...

The hippocampal circuitry undergoes attentional modulation by the cholinergic medial septum. However, it is unclear how septal activation regulates the spatial properties of hippocampal neurons. We investigated here what is the functional effect of selective-cholinergic and non-selective septal stimulation on septo-hippocampal system. We show for the first time selective activation of cholinerg...

Cholinergic input to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is known to contribute to reward. Although it is known that the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) provides an important source of excitatory input to the dopamine system, the specific role of PPTg cholinergic input to the VTA in cocaine reward has not been previously determined. We used a diphtheria toxin conjugated to urotensin-II (...