title: Regulation of cortical acetylcholine release: insights from in vivo microdialysis studies.
abstract: Acetylcholine release links the activity of presynaptic neurons with their postsynaptic targets and thus represents the intercellular correlate of cholinergic neurotransmission. Here, we review the regulation and functional significance of acetylcholine release in the mammalian cerebral cortex, with a particular emphasis on information derived from in vivo microdialysis studies over the past three decades. This information is integrated with anatomical and behavioral data to derive conclusions regarding the role of cortical cholinergic transmission in normal behavioral and how its dysregulation may contribute to cognitive correlates of several neuropsychiatric conditions. Some unresolved issues regarding the regulation and significance of cortical acetylcholine release and the promise of new methodology for advancing our knowledge in this area are also briefly discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. jim.fadel@uscmed.sc.edu
authors.forename: Jim R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fadel
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000378:metabolism; D017551:Microdialysis / Q000379:methods*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000109:Acetylcholine