News tagged with acetylcholine

Pig brain models provide insights into human cognitive development

A mutual curiosity about patterns of growth and development in pig brains has brought two University of Illinois research groups together. Animal scientists Rod Johnson and Ryan Dilger have developed a model of the pig brain ...

Neuroscience created Mar 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Stroke risk in elderly treated with antipsychotics is newly linked to specific drug actions

Antipsychotic administration in the elderly is associated with an increased risk for cerebrovascular accident, more commonly known as stroke; a new study published in Biological Psychiatry provides additional insight into t ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genome-wide imaging study identifies new gene associated with Alzheimer's plaques

A study combining genetic data with brain imaging, designed to identify genes associated with the amyloid plaque deposits found in Alzheimer's disease patients, has not only identified the APOE gene—long ...

Alzheimer's disease & dementia created Feb 20, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists revisit biochemical basis for depression

Symptoms of depression and anxiety can be induced in mice by increasing levels of acetylcholine, suggesting that depression may have different biochemical roots than previously believed, Yale School of Medicine ...

Medical research created Feb 12, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Added benefit of aclidinium bromide is not proven

The drug aclidinium bromide (trade names Eklira, Bretaris) has been approved since October 2012 for widening the narrowed airways of adults with chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The German Institute for Quality ...

Medications created Jan 30, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Pavlov's rats? Rodents trained to link rewards to visual cues

In experiments on rats outfitted with tiny goggles, scientists say they have learned that the brain's initial vision processing center not only relays visual stimuli, but also can "learn" time intervals and ...

Neuroscience created Jan 23, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Internet addiction—Causes at the molecular level

Everybody is talking about Internet addiction. Medically, this phenomenon has not yet been as clearly described as nicotine or alcohol dependency. But a study conducted by researchers from the University of Bonn and the Central ...

Addiction created Aug 29, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Collaborative preclinical efficacy studies suggest a new target for drug addiction treatment

In preclinical studies, researchers at SRI International and Astraea Therapeutics have recently evaluated the role of a new drug receptor target that shows promise for the treatment of drug addiction.

Addiction created Mar 14, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New piece to the puzzle of brain function

Researchers at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen have collaborated with the company NeuroSearch to generate new knowledge about an important part of the brain's complex communication system. ...

Neuroscience created Aug 19, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study sheds light on late phase of asthma attacks

New research led by scientists from Imperial College London explains why around half of people with asthma experience a 'late phase' of symptoms several hours after exposure to allergens. The findings, published in the journal ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Aug 13, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Regulation of attention and concentration in brain unravelled

(Medical Xpress) -- The prefrontal cortex of the brain is involved in memory processes and the ability to concentrate attentively. Neuroscientists from VU University Amsterdam have shown how and where this occurs in the prefrontal ...

Neuroscience created Aug 11, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists discover new mechanism that may be important for learning and memory

(Medical Xpress) -- New findings in mice suggest that the timing when the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is released in the brain’s hippocampus may play a key role in regulating the strength of nerve cell connections, ...

Neuroscience created Jul 14, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Acetylcholine

The chemical compound acetylcholine (often abbreviated ACh) is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) in many organisms including humans. Acetylcholine is one of many neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the only neurotransmitter used in the motor division of the somatic nervous system (sensory neurons use glutamate and various peptides at their synapses). Acetylcholine is also the principal neurotransmitter in all autonomic ganglia.

Acetylcholine slows the heart rate when functioning as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. However, acetylcholine also behaves as an excitatory neurotransmitter at neuromuscular junctions.

For more information about Acetylcholine, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.