We examined the possible existence of excitatory cholinergic innervation in isolated rabbit portal vein. Longitudinal strips of the vein in the presence of both phenoxybenzamine, an alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, and NG-nitro-L-arginine, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, exhibited a small contraction in response to transmural electrical stimulation (ES). The contractile response to ES was ...

Cholinergic control of the heart is exerted by two distinct branches; the autonomic component represented by the parasympathetic nervous system, and the recently described non-neuronal cardiomyocyte cholinergic machinery. Previous evidence has shown that reduced cholinergic function leads to deleterious effects on the myocardium. Yet, whether conditions of increased cholinergic signaling can of...

Acetylcholine (ACh) influences a vast array of phenomena in cortical systems. It alters many ionic conductances and neuronal firing behavior, often by regulating membrane potential oscillations in populations of cells. Synaptic inhibition has crucial roles in many forms of oscillation, and cholinergic mechanisms regulate both oscillations and synaptic inhibition. In vitro investigations using b...

Cholinergic interneurons are key components of striatal microcircuits. In primates, tonically active neurons (putative cholinergic interneurons) exhibit multiphasic responses to motivationally salient stimuli that mirror those of midbrain dopamine neurons and together these two systems mediate reward-related learning in basal ganglia circuits. Here, we addressed the potential contribution of co...

Multiple lines of evidence indicate that cholinergic basal forebrain neurons play an important role in the regulation of cortical activity and state. However, the discharge properties of cholinergic cells in relation to the electroencephalogram (EEG) are not yet known. In the present study, cells were recorded in the basal forebrain in association with cortical EEG activity in urethane-anesthet...

The basal forebrain (BF) contains a heterogeneous population of cholinergic and non-cholinergic corticopetal neurons and interneurons. Neurons firing at a higher rate during fast cortical EEG activity (f>16Hz) were called F cells, while neurons that increase their firing rate during high-amplitude slow-cortical waves (f<4Hz) were categorized as S-cells. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) projects heav...

Increased inflammation arising from an abnormal immune response can damage healthy tissue and lead to disease progression. An important example of this is the accumulation of inflammatory mediators in the kidney, which can subsequently lead to hypertension and renal injury. The origin of this inflammation may involve neuro-immune interactions. For example, the novel vagus nerve-to-spleen mechan...

The effects of carotid chemoreceptor stimulation with intracarotid injections of either nicotine, 0.2 mug/kg, or cyanide, 2 mug/kg, were compared with the effects of bilateral carotid occlusion on left ventricular (LV) pressure, dP/dt, and diameter in conscious dogs instrumented with ultrasonic diameter gauges and miniature pressure gauges. With heart rate maintained constant, carotid chemorece...

The development of sympatho-vagal control of cardiac activity was analyzed in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae from 2 to 15 days post fertilization (d.p.f.) by pharmacological studies as well as by assessing short term heart rate variability. Changes in heart rate in response to cholinergic and adrenergic receptor stimulation or inhibition were investigated using in situ preparations and digital ...

The aim of the present study was to determine whether cholinergic increase in the size of a functional representation (collective evoked response from a large population of neurons) can be observed shortly (within an hour) after treatment onset and whether nicotinic receptors can participate in this type of modulation. Cholinergic agonist application has been found previously to increase the re...