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Effects of dietary choline on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in brain

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Abstract

THE administration of choline by injection1 or diet2 increases the concentration of acetylcholine (ACh) in the brain. Choline also increases the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase3 (TOH) in dopaminergic neurones of the caudate nucleus that receive cholinergic inputs. This response can be blocked by atropine, indicating that it is due to the post-synaptic action of ACh. The post-synaptic alteration of TOH activity suggests that the level of ACh also regulates the concentration of ACh receptors (AChR). To produce large differences in brain ACh, we have studied two groups of rats, one deprived of choline and the other loaded with choline. We found high concentrations of ACh in the brain associated with increased amounts of nicotinic AChR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neurosciences Program, University of Alabama in Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, 32594

    BARBARA J. MORLEY, GIL R. ROBINSON, GEORGE B. BROWN, GEORGE E. KEMP & RONALD J. BRADLEY

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  1. BARBARA J. MORLEY
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  2. GIL R. ROBINSON
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  3. GEORGE B. BROWN
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  4. GEORGE E. KEMP
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  5. RONALD J. BRADLEY
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MORLEY, B., ROBINSON, G., BROWN, G. et al. Effects of dietary choline on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in brain. Nature 266, 848–850 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/266848a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/266848a0

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