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Review
. 2024 May;59(9):2138-2154.
doi: 10.1111/ejn.15913. Epub 2023 Jan 20.

α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in memory processing

Verónica Pastor  1   2 , Jorge H Medina  1   3
Affiliations
Review

α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in memory processing

Verónica Pastor et al. Eur J Neurosci. 2024 May.

Abstract

Information storage in the brain involves different memory types and stages that are processed by several brain regions. Cholinergic pathways through acetylcholine receptors actively participate on memory modulation, and their disfunction is associated with cognitive decline in several neurological disorders. During the last decade, the role of α7 subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in different memory stages has been studied. However, the information about their role in memory processing is still scarce. In this review, we attempt to identify brain areas where α7 nicotinic receptors have an essential role in different memory types and stages. In addition, we discuss recent work implicating-or not-α7 nicotinic receptors as promising pharmacological targets for memory impairment associated with neurological disorders.

Keywords: acetylcholine; amygdala; basal forebrain; hippocampus; prefrontal cortex.

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