Alpha-7
nicotinic receptors in the cerebrum do not receive their cholinergic innervation until just before birth, when the cholinergic afferents from the midbrain reach the hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebral cortex.
Using genetic strategies, they are attempting to determine the specific molecular make-up of the
nicotinic receptors that regulate anxiety.
However, unlike the lonely years of the 1990s, it's now difficult to find a major drug company not trying to capitalize on
nicotinic receptors,
5-10 mg/day--one-tenth of the dosages used in hypertension the drug antagonizes CNS neuronal
nicotinic receptors with no effect on those in the periphery--and no impact on blood pressure.
Long-term ethanol treatment elicits changes in
nicotinic receptor binding in only a few brain regions.
Targacept is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the design, discovery and development of a new class of drugs to treat multiple diseases and disorders of the central nervous system by selectively targeting neuronal
nicotinic receptors, or NNRs.
This suggests that the biological interaction between the
nicotinic receptors and AD pathology is complex," he said.
Another company, Targacept, is working on the
nicotinic receptors as well.
That is, nicotine is a cognitive-enhancing drug, with its administration activating presynaptic
nicotinic receptors.
Reminyl also modulates
nicotinic receptors in the brain so that they respond better to acetylcholine; this might be involved in the drug's beneficial effects, since
nicotinic receptors are decreased in Alzheimer's disease, Dr.
However, unlike other therapies, research indicates that Reminyl has a second mechanism of action: it acts on
nicotinic receptors in the brain.
Neuronal
nicotinic receptors (NNRs) belong to the Cys-loop family of ligand-gated ion channels, are formed from five subunits either as homologous or heterologous, oligomeric receptors, and are of interest as targets for treatment of a variety of central and peripheral nervous system disorders.
