In lampreys, reticulospinal neurons integrate sensory inputs to adapt their control onto the spinal locomotor networks. Whether and how sensory inputs to reticulospinal neurons are modulated remains to be determined. We showed recently that cholinergic inputs onto reticulospinal neurons play a key role in the initiation of locomotion elicited by stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region...

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors exert slow and prolonged synaptic effects in both vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems. Through activation of G proteins, they typically decrease intracellular cAMP levels by inhibition of adenylate cyclase or stimulate phospholipase C and the turnover of inositol phosphates. In insects, muscarinic receptors have been credited with two main functions: i...

Acetylcholine is the primary parasympathetic neurotransmitter in the airways and is known to cause bronchoconstriction and mucus secretion. Recent findings suggest that acetylcholine also regulates aspects of remodelling and inflammation through its action on muscarinic receptors. In the present study, we aimed to determine the effects of muscarinic receptor stimulation on cytokine production b...

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonists and agonists on prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex in rats. The muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine (0.03-1.0 mg/kg) produced a significant dose-dependent decrease in PPI without affecting startle amplitude. In contrast, N-methyl scopolamine, the quaternary a...

OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to characterize comparatively the binding of imidafenacin to muscarinic receptors in the human bladder mucosa and detrusor muscle and parotid gland. METHODS The muscarinic receptor in homogenates of human tissues (bladder mucosa and detrusor muscle and parotid gland) was measured using a radioligand binding assay with [N-methyl-(3) H]scopolamine methyl chlor...

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors belong to a superfamily of structurally related proteins which possess seven transmembrane spanning regions and couple to G-proteins [1-4]. Thus far, five distinct muscarinic receptor subtypes (designated ml-m5) are known to exist based on recent molecular cloning studies [2, 5, 6]. Earlier knowledge of muscarinic receptor heterogeneity was based on binding an...

A patient with widespread smooth-muscle disease presented with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction but had in addition defects of the bladder, pupils, sweating, and cardiovascular function. There was no evidence of a primary neural lesion, and minor changes in the muscle did not resemble those of a myopathy. In each organ affected muscarinic cholinergic function was at fault, but instead of s...

Muscarinic cholinergic receptors modulate the activity and plasticity of the visual cortex. Muscarinic receptors are divided into five subtypes that are not homogeneously distributed throughout the cortical layers and cells types. This distribution results in complex action of the muscarinic receptors in the integration of visual stimuli. Selective activation of the different subtypes can eithe...

Characteristics of muscarinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors were studied in the rat central nervous system (CNS) using 3H-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB), an antagonist of muscarinic ACh receptors. Scatchard analysis indicated that the rat CNS had a single 3H-QNB binding site with an apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of 5.0 X 10(-10) M. Li+, Zn++ and Cu++ had strong effects on 3H-QNB binding wh...

Bovine adrenal chromaffin cells possess both nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors, but only nicotinic receptors have heretofore appeared to mediate Ca2+-dependent exocytosis. We have now found that muscarinic receptor stimulation in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells leads to enhanced inositol phospholipid metabolism as evidenced by the rapid (less than 1 min) formation of inositol trisp...