title: Nicotine and neurodegeneration in ageing.
abstract: Impairment in cholinergic systems is a highly consistent finding in human dementia. Among cholinergic markers, marked decreases in nicotine binding have been most consistently observed in the telencephalic regions of demented patients and are thought to contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with ageing and age-related neurodegenerative diseases. New evidence that the cholinergic system has a specific pathogenic role in the neurodegenerative alterations of aged and, especially, demented patients is fast accumulating. Both in vivo and in culture, nicotine protects striatal, hippocampal and cortical neurons against the neurotoxicity induced by excitotoxic amino acids as well as the toxicity caused by beta-amyloid, the major component of senile plaques. Further support for the implication of nicotinic receptors in brain ageing is come from recent studies on transgenic animals lacking nicotinic receptor subtypes, which shed light on the mechanisms of nicotine neuroprotection and neurotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sezione di Fisiologia, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, via Campi 287, 41100, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanardi
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biagini
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zoli
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009420:Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D009538:Nicotine