Basal forebrain cholinergic

Eggermann, E Serafin, M., Bayer, L. et al. (2001). Orexins/hypocretins excite basal forebrain cholinergic neurones. Neuroscience 108, 177-81. 

Parent, A., Pare, D., Smith, Y. 8r Steriade, M. (1988). Basal forebrain cholinergic and noncholinergic projections to the thalamus and brainstem in cats and monkeys. J. Comp. Neurol. 277, 281-301. 

Jones, B. E. (2004). Activity, modulation and role of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons innervating the cerebral cortex. Prog. Brain Res. 145, 157-69. 

NGF also has actions within the CNS, although it is not particularly abundant in the CNS. Its synthesis appears to be largely restricted to the hippocampus and neocortex, and even in these regions it is present at relatively low concentrations relative to the other neurotrophins. The most prominent population of NGF-responsive neurons expressing TrkA are the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. The principal projections of these neurons are to the hippocampus and cortex, which conforms with the concept that NGF acts as a target-derived trophic factor in the CNS, just as it does in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). NGF also acts on a subpopulation of cholinergic neurons within the striatum. These interneurons express the NGF receptor, TrkA, and respond to NGF. However, they do not appear to rely entirely on NGF for their survival, and the specific actions of NGF on this neuronal population have not been clearly defined. NGF may also have autocrine actions in the CNS, as some neuronal populations have been identified that express both TrkA and NGF. 

Lesions of the basal forebrain cholinergic system using a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) result in impaired attentional, but not mnemonic, function in rats (Muir et al., 1995) and monkeys (Voytko et al., 1994), an effect which has been confirmed using more selective IgG-saporin lesions (Baxter et al., 1995 Everitt 8c Robbins, 1997). 

Basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei project to all cerebral cortical areas and the amygdala (nbM), hippocampal formation, cingulate, and hypothalamus (medial septal nucleus and vertical limb of the diagonal band), and the olfac-... 

Studies of animals with central cholinergic lesions produced by either pharmacological inhibition of choline uptake or direct excitotoxic lesions of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons have shown highly specific attentional deficits (Muir et al. 1992 Robbins et al. 1989). These animals showed deficits that might be predicted from studies of humans with AD that is, they showed increased response latency and increased responsiveness to irrelevant sensory stimuli. Studies by Vidal (1994b) have shown that administration of a nicotinic antagonist into rat prefrontal cortex impairs performance on spatial... 

Knusel B, Beck KD, Winslow JW, et al Brain-derived neurotrophic factor administration protects basal forebrain cholinergic but not nigral dopaminergic neurons from degenerative changes after axotomy in the adult rat brain. J Neurosci 12 4391-4402, 1992... 

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