PSY 3142 Lecture 4: Acetylcholine

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 3142
• Professor: Philip Wall

Document Summary

Neurotransmitter system pathways: acetylcholine system: begins in the pontonsencephalotegmental complex (brainstem), and circulates up the brain stem into the thalamus and hippocampus, through to the neocortex. Via this system, it also goes through the medial septal nuclei and the basal nucleus of meynert. Synthesis: in the presynaptic terminal from acetyl coa and choline in a reaction catalized by choline acetyl transferase. Nerves that use acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter are called cholinergic neurons. After release acetylcholine is rapidly metabolized by acetylcholinesterase in the synapse. This breaks it down into acetate and choline. Choline is transported back into the nerve terminal by membrane transporters and used to resynthesize the neurotransmitter. Basal forebrain contains the major clusters of cholinergic neurons. Including the nucleus basalts and the medial septal nucleus and the nucleus of the diagonal band. Projection to the hippocampus via the fornix, amygdala, cerebral cortex.