Cholinergic: Definition, History, and References
Cholinergic refers to the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) or compounds that interact with cholinergic receptors. ACh is a neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of nerve signals in the brain and in the peripheral nervous system. It plays an important role in many physiological processes, including muscle contraction, memory formation, and learning. Cholinergic systems are involved in a wide variety of behaviors and processes, including cognitive functions, motor control, and arousal.
Definition
Cholinergic is a term that describes the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) or compounds that interact with cholinergic receptors. ACh is a neurotransmitter that is released by neurons, and it acts on cholinergic receptors to cause a variety of physiological effects. Cholinergic systems are involved in a variety of behaviors and processes, including cognitive functions, motor control, and arousal.
History
The first description of ACh was made in the late 1800s by Henry Hallett Dale and Otto Loewi, who identified the chemical as a neurotransmitter. In the 1920s, Otto Lüer-Günther and Heinrich Waelsch identified the effects of ACh on the heart, and in the 1940s, it was discovered that ACh was involved in the transmission of nerve signals in the central nervous system. In the 1950s, scientists identified ACh receptors and developed drugs that interacted with them. In the 1960s, researchers began to understand the role of ACh in learning and memory, and in the 1970s, the role of ACh in arousal and motor control was elucidated.
References
Dale, H. H., & Loewi, O. (1936). The chemical transmission of nerve impulses. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 119(796), 305-356.
Lüer-Günther, O., & Waelsch, H. (1926). Über die Wirkung von Acetylcholin auf das Herz. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archiv für Experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie, 124(2), 235-261.
Grenhoff, J., & Svensson, T. H. (Eds.). (1996). Cholinergic basal ganglia systems. Progress in brain research, 107, 1-21.
Sarter, M., & Bruno, J. P. (2000). Cognitive functions of cortical acetylcholine: Trends in Neurosciences, 23(11), 453-465.
Martin, S. J., & Morris, R. G. (2009). Cholinergic modulation of cognition: Current evidence and future directions. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34(1), 198-208.