play key role in Alzheimer's
A new study by Yale researchers shows that loss of nicotine receptors in the brain in the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease may contribute to the cognitive impairments associated with the disease.
Researchers have long known that loss of nicotine receptors in the brain was a clear manifestation of Alzheimer's Disease. This new study in the journal Neuropharmacology shows that loss of nicotine receptors in the brain results in poor performance in learning tasks following aging.
Marina Picciotto, assistant professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the School of Medicine, says that when the animals in the study lost all of the nicotine receptors in the brain, they also became unable to develop an addiction to nicotine.
"We showed that these receptors are absolutely critical for getting addicted to nicotine, and now we know they also are critical for maintaining cognitive functioning in aging," Picciotto says.
Nicotine binding sites are those areas in the brain that normally are activated by neurotransmitted acetylcholine. "Nicotine binding sites are lost selectively in patients with Alzheimer's Disease," Picciotto says.
The research also shows that the animal models they are using offer important insights into neurological changes in humans, says Picciotto.
For instance, the animals in the study exhibited normal learning and memory until they aged, and then there was accelerated impairment in learning and memory. It is therefore unlikely that the loss of nicotine receptors alone are responsible for diminished cognitive capability, she notes.
"We think the nicotine receptors become more important as people age because of neurons lost in other areas of the brain, such as the cortex and hippocampus," Picciotto says.
-- By Jacqueline Weaver
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