Cholinergic neurons of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) are interconnected with all the basal ganglia structures, as well as with motor centers in the brainstem and medulla. Recent theories put into question whether PPN cholinergic neurons form part of a locomotor region that directly regulates the motor output, and rather suggest a modulatory role in adaptive behavior involving both motor and cognitive functions. In support of this, experimental studies in animals suggest that cholinergic neurons reinforce actions by signaling reward prediction and shape adaptations in behavior during changes of environmental contingencies. This is further supported by clinical studies proposing that decreased cholinergic transmission originated in the PPN is associated with impaired sensorimotor integration and perseverant behavior, giving rise to some of the symptoms observed in Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. Altogether, the evidence suggests that cholinergic neurons of the PPN, mainly through their interactions with the basal ganglia, have a leading role in action control.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2018.09.008 | DOI Listing |
Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol
January 2025
Dept of Physiology & Cell Biology, University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV. Electronic address:
Background And Aims: Gastrointestinal motility persists when peripheral cholinergic signaling is blocked genetically or pharmacologically, and a recent study suggests nitric oxide drives propagating neurogenic contractions.
Methods: To determine the neuronal substrates that underlie these contractions, we measured contractile-associated movements together with calcium responses of cholinergic or nitrergic myenteric neurons in un-paralyzed ex vivo preparations of whole mouse colon. We chose to look at these two subpopulations because they encompass nearly all myenteric neurons.
Metab Brain Dis
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with cognitive impairments which are linked to a deficit in cholinergic function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of TeMac™ to prevent memory impairment in scopolamine-rats model of Alzheimer's disease and by in silico approaches to identify molecules in TeMac™ inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. The cholinergic cognitive dysfunction was induced by intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine (1 mg/kg daily) in male Wistar rats for seven consecutive days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain Struct Funct
January 2025
Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boğaziçi University, Bebek, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
Theta oscillations of the mammalian amygdala are associated with processing, encoding and retrieval of aversive memories. In the hippocampus, the power of the network theta oscillation is modulated by basal forebrain (BF) GABAergic projections. Here, we combine anatomical and computational approaches to investigate if similar BF projections to the amygdaloid complex provide an analogous modulation of local network activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBio Protoc
January 2025
Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
Neurons are highly polarized cells, with axons that may innervate distant target regions. In the brain, basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) possess extensive axons that project to several target regions such as the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala, and may be exposed to a specific microenvironment in their axon targets that may have retrograde effects on neuronal health. Interestingly, BFCNs express the pan-neurotrophin receptor p75NTR throughout life while also concomitantly co-expressing all Trk receptors, making them capable of responding to both mature and precursor neurotrophins to promote survival or apoptosis, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlia
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science and Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China.
Astrocytes are the most abundant type of macroglia in the brain and play crucial roles in regulating neural development and functions. The diverse functions of astrocytes are largely determined by their morphology, which is regulated by genetic and environmental factors. However, whether and how the astrocyte morphology is affected by temperature remains largely unknown.
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