AUTHOR=Echeverria Valentina , Mendoza Cristhian , Iarkov Alex 

TITLE=Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and learning and memory deficits in Neuroinflammatory diseases

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 17 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1179611

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1179611

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=Animal survival depends on cognitive abilities such as learning and memory to adapt to environmental 
changes. Memory functions require an enhanced activity and connectivity of a particular arrangement 
of engram neurons, supported by the concerted action of neurons, glia, and vascular cells.
The deterioration of the cholinergic system is a common occurrence in several neurological disorders 
exacerbated by aging, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 
Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). 
Cotinine is a drug with neuroprotector, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and memory enhancing effects[1]. Current evidence suggests that its beneficial effects on cognition results from the
positive modulation of the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and the inhibition of the toll like receptors (TLRs)[2]. The nAChRs affect brain functions by modulating neurons, glia, endothelial cells, 
immune cells, and dendritic cells and controlling inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission through 
the GABA interneurons. In addition, the positive modulation of the α7nAChRs by Cotinine reduced
neuroinflammation and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines by immune cells. Also, α7nAChRs 
stimulate signaling pathways supporting the structural, biochemical, electrochemical, and cellular 
changes during the cognitive processes, including Neurogenesis. Here, potential mechanisms of action 
of Cotinine on memory preservation in aging and neurological diseases are discussed.
Keywords: nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, learning and memory, aging, Cotinine, Neurogenesis, 
Posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury