title: Reductions in acetylcholine and nicotine binding in several degenerative diseases.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy are all characterized by loss of neurons in the basal forebrain cholinergic system and by associated reductions in cortical presynaptic cholinergic markers, such as choline acetyltransferase. In this report, we identify that a major cortical receptor alteration in these disorders is a reduction in nicotinic receptors measured using both tritiated acetylcholine and levorotatory tritiated nicotine binding.
authors.affiliation: Neuropathology Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Marcus
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Zweig
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kellar
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000378:metabolism; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D009538:Nicotine; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine