Cholinergic regulation of the activity of rabbit retinal ganglion cells and displaced amacrine cells was investigated using optical recording of changes in intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i). Labeling of neurons in the mature retina was achieved by injecting calcium green-1 dextran (CaGD) into the isolated retina. Nicotine increased ganglion cell [Ca2+]i, affecting every loaded cell in some p...

Address correspondence to: Dennis McGinty, PhD, Neurophysiology Res. (151A3), VAGLAHS, 16111 Plummer Street, Sepulveda, CA 91343; Tel: (818) 891-7711; Fax: (818) 895-9575; E-mail: [email protected] THE IDEA THAT THE REGULATION OF SLEEP IS UNDER CONTROL OF ONE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM, ONE NEUROCHEMICAL PATHWAY, OR ONE BRAIN REGION has seduced many of us.1 Part of the appeal of the hypothesis— th...

The cholinergic system is a potent neuromodulatory system that plays critical roles in cortical plasticity, attention and learning. In this review, we propose that the cellular effects of acetylcholine (ACh) in the primary visual cortex during the processing of visual inputs might induce perceptual learning; i.e., long-term changes in visual perception. Specifically, the pairing of cholinergic ...

Endothelial cell activation plays a critical role in regulating leukocyte recruitment during inflammation and infection. Based on recent studies showing that acetylcholine and other cholinergic mediators suppress the production of proinflammatory cytokines via the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha7 nAChR) expressed by macrophages and our observations that human microvascular endoth...

Recently, cholinergic modulation of immune cells has drawn particular interests from researchers in clinical fields, which may lead to a breakthrough that produces a novel therapeutic modality. Other than the immunological aspects, cholinergic modulation may also provide clues for accelerating angiogenesis and preventing any associated muscle atrophy. In this Research highlight, we discuss our ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of cholinergic treatment on the muscarinic receptor in patients with Alzheimer's disease. METHODS 12 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and six controls were studied. The patients underwent ADAS-COG psychometric assessment and SPECT brain imaging with (123)I quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB), to demonstrate the postsynaptic muscarinic M1 receptor...

Yoon JY, Jung SR, Hille B, Koh DS. Modulation of nicotinic receptor channels by adrenergic stimulation in rat pinealocytes. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 306: C726–C735, 2014. First published February 19, 2014; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00354.2013.—Melatonin secretion from the pineal gland is triggered by norepinephrine released from sympathetic terminals at night. In contrast, cholinergic and parasympat...

The objective of the study was to determine if chronic interruption of all extrinsic nerve inputs to the heart alters cholinergic-mediated responses within the intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICN). Extracardiac nerve inputs to the ICN were surgically interrupted (ICN decentralized). Three weeks later, the intrinsic cardiac right atrial ganglionated plexus (RAGP) was removed and intrinsic card...