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The Cholinergic System in Aging

  • Chapter
The Cholinergic Synapse

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 86))

Abstract

Based on findings of age-dependent modifications of the cholinergic synapse, two major hypotheses on aging of the cholinergic system have been advanced. The first is a general hypothesis of senescence of synaptic transmission which considers as a primary effect of aging a breakdown of membrane mechanisms resulting in a reduced availability of precursors and in a defect in transmitter release (Giacobini 1982 a, 1983). This condition in its cholinergic manifestation leads initially to a decreased capacity of neurotransmitter synthesis and then to a decreased content and release of acetylcholine (ACh). Together, these may have an effect similar to ‘chemical denervation’. It is not known whether or not this hypothesis applies only to normal conditions of aging or can also be extended to pathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. The second is a cholinergic hypothesis of geriatric memory dysfunction which was suggested by Bartus et al. (1982, 1985 a, b) and applies to the deficits seen in Alzheimer’s disease. While the first hypothesis is based mainly on data from experimental animals, the second is supported exclusively by findings on humans since there is no adequate animal model of the disease. There are, however, limitations in the use of postmortem cerebral tissue which apply particularly to biochemical investigations in humans.

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Authors
  1. E. Giacobini
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  1. Arbeitsgruppe Neurochemie, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Postfach 2841, D-3400, Göttingen, Germany

    Victor P. Whittaker

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Giacobini, E. (1988). The Cholinergic System in Aging. In: Whittaker, V.P. (eds) The Cholinergic Synapse. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 86. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73220-1_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73220-1_25

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