Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Dysfunction in Addiction and in Some Neurodegenerative and Neuropsychiatric Diseases

VALLES A.S.; BARRANTES, FRANCISCO J.

Cells

MDPI

Lugar: Basilea; Año: 2023 vol. 12

2073-4409

The cholinergic system plays an essential role in brain development, physiology, andpathophysiology. Herein, we review how specific alterations in this system, through genetic mutationsor abnormal receptor function, can lead to aberrant neural circuitry that triggers disease.The review focuses on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and its role in addiction and inneurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and epilepsy. Cholinergic dysfunction is associatedwith inflammatory processes mainly through the involvement of 7 nAChRs expressed in brain andin peripheral immune cells. Evidence suggests that these neuroinflammatory processes trigger andaggravate pathological states. We discuss the preclinical evidence demonstrating the therapeuticpotential of nAChR ligands in Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and in autosomal dominant sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy. PubMed and Google Scholarbibliographic databases were searched with the keywords indicated below