Nitric oxide: a new messenger in the brain

Abstract

The important role played by nitric oxide (NO) in the central nervous system has largely been emphasized in the recent literature. It can originate at least from four different sources: the endothelium of cerebral vessels, the immunostimulated microglia and astrocytes, the nonadrenergic noncholinergic nerve, and the glutamate neuron. NO has been implicated in a large number of pathologies (such as neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, cerebral ischemia, stroke, and anxiety) and also in normal physiological functions (such as memory and learning, regulation of the cerebrovascular system, modulation of the wakefulness, mediation of nociception, olfaction, food intake and drinking, regulation of noradrenaline, and dopamine release). The aim of this paper is to review and to integrate the most recent advances in our understanding of the roles of NO in the brain.