cholinergc signalling

acetylcholine

neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction

acetylcholine synthesis

acetyl-CoA (byproduct of pyruvate breakdown) combined with choline, mediated by choline acetyltransferase in the cytoplasm makes acetylcholine

nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

pentameric ligand-gated ion channel receptors permeable to Na+ and K+, sometimes Ca2+, with huge diversity of subtypes

muscarinic acetylcholine receptors

g-protein coupled metabotropic receptors, highly expressed in heart, smooth muscle and CNS

excitatory end plate potential (eEPP)

initial depolarisation generated by nAChR activity

tetrodotoxin

voltage-gated Na+ channel blocker

botulinum toxin

prevents ACh release (paralytic)

myathsenia gravis

autoimmune disease that causes antibodies to be generated against nAChRs, functionally blocking ACh from binding and causing muscle weakness and paralysis

medial septal nucleus

cholinergic nucleus in the hippocampus, main source of hippocampal ACh

nucleus basalis of mynert

cholinergic nucleus in the basal forebrain that mainly innervates the cortex

pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus

cholinergic nucleus of the pons, involved in motor behaviours and action-outcome associations