Cholinergic pathways

Cholinergic pathways are anatomical and functional neural circuits composed of neurons that use acetylcholine as their neurotransmitter to communicate signals in the central and peripheral nervous systems[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. These pathways involve cholinergic neurons, their projections, enzymes required for acetylcholine synthesis and breakdown, and both muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors[2][3][4][5][7]. Cholinergic signaling is essential for cognitive processes including attention, learning, and memory, and has major roles in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system, including cardiac and gastrointestinal function, and immune modulation[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Loss or dysfunction of cholinergic pathways is a core feature of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders[2][3][6][7]. The term "cholinergic pathways" does not refer to a single defined molecular entity or therapeutic target, but rather to multiple neural circuits and components—including neurons, pathways, enzymes, and receptors—and therefore should not be used as a canonical target entry. "Cholinergic pathways" describes anatomical systems or circuits, not a single molecule, gene product, or receptor. The proper canonical entries would be molecules such as "Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M1" (CHRM1), "Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits" (e.g., CHRNA7), "Acetylcholine transporter" (SLC18A3), or enzymes like "Choline acetyltransferase" (CHAT) or "Acetylcholinesterase" (ACHE). As such, it is not a direct therapeutic target but a physiological network encompassing multiple targets[1][2][3][4][5][6][7].

Other names

Cholinergic systemCholinergic circuitsCholinergic neural pathwaysCholinergic projections