CHOLINERGIC AND VASOACTIVE INTESTINAL POLYPEPTIDERGIC INNERVATION OF THE CEREBRAL-ARTERIES

Acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide are not only two v asoactive agonists that predominantly induce a vasodilatation of the c erebral arteries, but also correspond to neurotransmitters that innerv ate the various anatomical segments of the cerebral vasculature. The d istinct patterns of the cerebrovascular cholinergic and vasoactive int estinal polypeptidergic innervation, their neurochemistry, in vitro an d in vivo pharmacology, as well as the putative pathophysiological imp lications of these neurotransmission systems are critically summarized on the basis of the most recently published literature.