Abstract
Core symptoms of psychosis include delusions, hallucinations, motor symptoms, and cognitive impairments. The cholinergic system has been increasingly implied in the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders. PET and SPECT imaging can be useful tools to increase our insight in the role of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in psychosis. In this chapter we will first globally describe cholinergic neurotransmission and the function of the nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. Second, we will provide an overview of PET and SPECT studies examining the cholinergic system in psychosis. Finally, we will briefly discuss the results of these studies as well as future directions.
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Abbreviations
- Ach:
-
Acetylcholine
- AcCoa:
-
Acetyl-coenzyme A
- AChE:
-
Acetylcholinesterase
- AChE-Is:
-
Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
- AD:
-
Alzheimer’s disease
- α-BTX:
-
α-Bungarotoxin
- BPND:
-
Binding potential nondisplaceable
- ChAT:
-
Choline acetyltransferase
- Cho:
-
Choline
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- DLPFC:
-
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- [18F]FEOBV:
-
[18F]fluoroethoxybenzovesamicol
- [18F]ASEM:
-
[18F]-JHU82132; 3-(1,4-diazabicyclo[3.2.2]nonan-4-yl)-6-18F]fluorodibenzo[b,d]thiophene 5,5-dioxide)
- 2-[18F]F-A-85380:
-
2-[18F]fluoro-3-(2(S)azetidinylmethoxy)pyridine
- [3H]QNB:
-
[3H](R)-3-quinuclidinylbenzilate
- [123I]-IDEX:
-
[123I]-iododexetimide
- [123I]-IBVM:
-
[123I]-iodobenzovesamicol
- [123I]5-IA-85380:
-
[(123)I]-5-iodo-3-[2(S)-azetidinylmethoxy]pyridine)
- mAChRs:
-
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors
- MRS:
-
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- nAChRs:
-
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
- OFC:
-
Orbitofrontal cortex
- PD:
-
Parkinson’s disease
- PET:
-
Positron emission tomography
- PNS:
-
Peripheral nervous system
- SPECT:
-
Single-photon emission computed tomography
- VAChT:
-
Vesicular acetylcholine transporter
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Vingerhoets, C., Booij, J., van Amelsvoort, T. (2021). Acetylcholine Imaging in Psychosis. In: Dierckx, R.A., Otte, A., de Vries, E.F.J., van Waarde, A., Sommer, I.E. (eds) PET and SPECT in Psychiatry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57231-0_15
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