MODULATORY CONTROL BY NONCOMPETITIVE AGONISTS OF NICOTINIC CHOLINERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION IN THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

Several exogenous and endogenous compounds have been discovered that a ct on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors as non-competitive agonists (N CA) of low efficacy, and also as allosteric regulators of the receptor 's sensitivity to acetylcholine. Nicotinic NCAs may be viewed as anoth er facet in. the increasingly complex picture of vertebrate brain orga nization i.e. they may be part of a higher level 'chemical' network th at overlays the neuronal network of the CNS. Furthermore, exogenous NC As may provide a new therapeutic approach to Alzheimer's dementia.