Role of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in Alzheimer's disease pathology and treatment

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

卷:96

Review

Lombardo, Sylvia^1,2  Maskos, Uwe^1,2 

[1] Inst Pasteur, Dept Neurosci, Unite Neurobiol Integrat Syst Cholineig, Paris 15, France

[2] CNRS, UMR 3571, Paris, France

关键词: Alzheimer's disease;    A beta peptide;    Cholinergic system;    Nicotinic receptor;    Nicotine;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.11.018

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the major form of senile dementia, characterized by neuronal loss, extracellular deposits, and neurofibrillary tangles. It is accompanied by a loss of cholinergic tone, and acetylcholine (ACh) levels in the brain, which were hypothesized to be responsible for the cognitive decline observed in AD. Current medication is restricted to enhancing cholinergic signalling for symptomatic treatment of AD patients. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor family (nAChR) and the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor family (mAChR) are the target of ACh in the brain. Both families of receptors are affected in AD. It was demonstrated that amyloid beta (AB) interacts with nAChRs. Here we discuss how AB activates or inhibits nAChRs, and how this interaction contributes to AD pathology. We will discuss the potential role of nAChRs as therapeutic targets. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor: From Molecular Biology to Cognition'. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free