The neural mechanisms underlying cholinergic cell death within the basal forebrain

The basal forebrain region includes a large group of cholinergic neurons wi thin the medial septal area and nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM) that project to the hippocampus and throughout the neocortex, respectively. This chapter will consider the mechanisms that influence why cholinergic cells within the NBM die and discuss studies that have manipulated the features o f these cells that could make them differentially vulnerable to degeneratio n with aging and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This chapter will focus upon the NBM cholinergic system because this regions typically demonstrates a great er degree of cell loss with aging and AD. (C) 1999 ISDN. Published by Elsev ier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.