Alzheimer's disease & dementia

Scientists find a method of protection against Alzheimer's disease

A joint study on the Lynx1 protein has revealed that the protein competes with human nicotinic acetylcholine receptors for binding to amyloids, which are the main cause of Alzheimer's development. In the future, the protein ...

Neuroscience

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

Researchers find key to keep working memory working

Working memory, the ability to hold a thought in mind even through distraction, is the foundation of abstract reasoning and a defining characteristic of the human brain. It is also impaired in disorders such as schizophrenia ...

Medical research

Newly discovered mechanism can explain increased risk of dementia

Millions of people around the world use proton pump inhibitors for conditions like heartburn, gastritis and stomach ulcers. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now report that the long-term use of these drugs could ...

Immunology

Lab discovers how the immune system 'thinks'

New research from the laboratory of cancer scientist Dr. Tak Mak, renowned for cloning the human T-cell receptor, has demonstrated that immune cells make brain chemicals to fight off infections.

page 1 from 10

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.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA