The Central Cholinergic Synapse: A Primer

Central cholinergic systems are under intensive study in neurophysiology and neuro-pharmacology. The present review serves to introduce central cholinergic function with a focus on the synthesis of acetylcholine from glucose, acetyl-CoA and choline, mediated by choline acetyltransferase; the transport of choline by the high-affinity choline uptake sys-tem; its packaging in vesicles by the vesicular acetylcholine transporter; and its break-down by cholinesterases. I also briefly discuss muscarinic and nicotinic receptors and the significance of cholinergic synapses in brain diseases, especially dementia.