title: Galanin regulates the postnatal survival of a subset of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons.
abstract: The neuropeptide galanin colocalizes with choline acetyltransferase, the synthetic enzyme for acetylcholine, in a subset of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain of rodents. Chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of nerve growth factor induces a 3- to 4-fold increase in galanin gene expression in these neurons. Here we report the loss of a third of cholinergic neurons in the medial septum and vertical limb diagonal band of the basal forebrain of adult mice carrying a targeted loss-of-function mutation in the galanin gene. These deficits are associated with a 2-fold increase in the number of apoptotic cells in the forebrain at postnatal day seven. This loss is associated with marked age-dependent deficits in stimulated acetylcholine release, performance in the Morris water maze, and induction of long-term potentiation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. These data provide unexpected evidence that galanin plays a trophic role to regulate the development and function of a subset of septohippocampal cholinergic neurons.
authors.affiliation: Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, Neuroscience Research Centre, Terlings Park, Harlow, CM20 2QR, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: O'Meara
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Coumis
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kehr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bacon
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kahl
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Kearns
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ove-Ogren
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dawbarn
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mufson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wynick
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; D005260:Female; D019004:Galanin / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D019004:Galanin