ABSTRACT
Nicotine is a highly active pharmacological compound with numerous actions affecting both the peripheral and central nervous systems (CNS). Many actions of nicotine in the CNS are thought to be initiated by the interaction of nicotine with specific receptive sites, collectively termed nicotinic receptors. Within the CNS, the term nicotinic receptor refers to a population of membrane associated proteins composed of alpha and beta subunits. This chapter focuses on two related aspects of nicotinic receptor function in the CNS, namely, neurotransmitter release and regulation of cell survival. It describes the relationships between these functional aspects. The chapter establishes a correlation between these functions with specific receptor subtypes. It explores that nicotinic receptors may modulate cell survival, growth, and proliferation. Nicotinic receptors appear to be associated with many types of neurons in the brain where they subserve numerous neurochemical and molecular functions.
