Nicotinic receptors—a family of ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the effects of the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine—are among the most well understood allosteric membrane …

Nicotine is the principal addictive component that drives continued tobacco use despite
users' knowledge of the harmful consequences. The initiation of addiction involves the …

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate fast chemical
neurotransmission at the neuromuscular junction and have diverse signalling roles in the …

Fast chemical communication in the nervous system is mediated by neurotransmitter-gated
ion channels. The prototypical member of this class of cell surface receptors is the cation …

More than 70% of adolescents report to have smoked a cigarette at least once. At the
adolescent stage the brain has not completed its maturation. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), the …

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second-leading cause of dementia and is characterized by a
progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra alongside the presence of …

The human α7 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene (CHRNA7) is ubiquitously
expressed in both the central nervous system and in the periphery. CHRNA7 is genetically …

Nicotine exerts its behavioral and additive actions through a family of brain nicotinic
acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Enhancing α7-type nAChR signaling improves symptoms …

Aberrant amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) accumulation along with altered expression and function of
nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) stand prominently in the etiology of Alzheimer's …

Following sequencing and assembly of the human genome, the preferred methods for
identification of new drug targets have changed dramatically. Modern tactics such as …