• Introduction

• The Function of Acetylcholine in the Brain

• Mimics of Acetylcholine
• Diseases Associated with Acetylcholine
• Discovered in 1921 by an Austrian scientist
• Major neurotransmitter in the peripheral nervous
system
• Produced by the neurons in the parietal lobes of
the brain
• Associated with thought, memory, and muscular
coordination
• Associated with the speed of information
processing in the brain and the production of
myelin sheath
• Chemical structure:
CH3 O
| ||
H3C—N+—CH2— CH2—O—C— CH3
|
CH3
• Acetylcholine (ACh) first isolated around 1914.
• In 1921 the functional significance of ACh was
established by the German physiologist Otto
Loewi.
• ACh is composed of an ester of choline and acetic
acid.
• The neurotransmitter ACh is stored in vesicles in
the nerve endings.
• When a nerve impulse arrives at a nerve ending,
ACh is released and it binds with receptors on
muscle cells to make them contract or relax.
• ACh is responsible for motor control at the junction
between nerves and muscles.
• It is the receptor that determines whether or not
the muscle cell is stimulated or inhibited.
• ACh may either stimulate skeletal muscles or
decrease heart rate.
• In addition to having effect on motor control, ACh
influences mental processes such as learning,
memory, sleeping, and dreaming.
• Curare- a toxin used in the arrows of South
American natives which binds to ACh receptor
sites. This causes paralysis by interfering with
transmition of nerve impulses. Muscles with more
nerves tend to be affected first.
• Curare is also used in small amounts as
anesthetic for abdominal surgery.
• Nicotine- A mimic of ACh. Current research shows
that nicotine may be helpful to treat
neurodegenerative disorders.
• Alzheimer’s Disease- the most common form of
dementia that is associated with acetylcholine.
• It was first discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer.
• It is a progressive, degenerative and irreversible
neurological disease with no cure.
• AD tends to run in families due to certain genes.
• Symptoms can be seen as early as the age of 40,
but are more frequent around the age 65.
• The following symptoms are often
associated with the disease: frequent
 memory loss, impaired thinking, impaired
behavior, and difficulty in grasping or in
expressing thought.
• In early stages of AD, Ach producing cells in
the basal forebrain are damaged.
• The most striking symptom of AD is the loss
of memory. This is due to decline in neurons
in the cortex.
• Although, accumulation of the protein amyloid in
the brain is suspected to play a role.
• progressive damage to brain cells
• Other diseases that have been associated
with acetylcholine are bipolar disorder,
mood swings and depression.
Symptoms
There are 10 classic warning signs :
1. memory loss.
2. difficulty performing familiar tasks.
3. problems with language.
4. disorientation to time and place.
5. poor or decreased judgment.
6. problems with abstract thinking.
7. misplacing things.
8. changes in mood or behavior.
9. changes in personality.
10. and loss of initiative.
Stages
1. Pre-dementia
2. Early
3. Moderate
4. Advanced
statistics
• Generally, it is diagnosed in people over
65 years of age, although the lessprevalent early
onset of Alzheimer’s can
occur much earlier.
• In 2006, there were 26.6 million sufferers
worldwide.
• Alzheimer’s is predicted to affect 1 in 85
people globally by 2050