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Too Much: creates spasms or tremors.Too Little: causes Paralysis.

ACETYLCHOLINE Acetylcholine:is an organic, polyatomic cation that acts as a neurotransmitter in both the PNS & CNS in many organisms including humans.

FUNCTIONS:Acetylcholine has many functions:  It is responsible for much of the stimulation of muscles, including the muscles of the gastro-intestinal system.  It is also found in sensory neurons and in the autonomic nervous system, and has a part in scheduling REM (dream) sleep.

It is an excitatory neurotransmitter

that is a derivative of the amine,

choline; released by motor neurons at

the neuromuscular junction, by all

preganglionic autonomic visceral

motor neurons, by all parasympathetic

postganglionic visceral motor neurons,

by sympathetic postganglionic visceral

motor neurons for sweat glands, and

by a variety of neurons in the CNS;

this neurotransmitter is rapidly cleared

from synapses by the enzyme

acetylcholinesterase.

In the Central Nervous System,

Acetylcholine affects learning,

memory, and mood. In the Peripheral

Nervous System, acetylcholine affects

skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle.

It especially aids in muscle movement

(skeletal muscle) and the gastro-

intestinal tract (smooth muscle).

If there is too much Acetylcholine

a person may experience muscle

tremors or spasms. If there is too little

Acetylcholine a person may

experience paralysis, or loss of

movement. This makes sense because

Acetylcholine is involved in muscle

movement.

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Interesting Facts:

-Acetylcholine is abbreviated as ACh.-Acetylcholine is used in decision making as well as involved in learning, memory, and mood.-Acetylcholine was the first neurotransmitter to be discovered. It was isolated in 1921 by a German biologist named Otto Loewi. This discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1936. Loewi is referred to as the “Father of Neuroscience.”-Low levels of Acetylcholine in the brain and nerve cells produce symptoms such as depression, low energy, fatigue, inability to think clearly, slow reflexes, poor memory, nervousness, and anxiety.-Link between Acetylcholine and Alzheimer’s disease: There is something on the order of a 90% loss of Acetylcholine in the brain of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which is a major senility.  

Diseases/Disorders:

Acetylcholine affects cognitive functions including memory and thought. One disease affected by Acetylcholine is Alzheimers disease because if the cholinergic pathways

get damaged than the Acetylcholine won’t get through which leads to memory loss. Another disease caused by Acetylcholine is Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is due to excessive muscle extraction and Acetylcholine controls muscle contraction. An imbalance between Acetylcholine and Dopamine is associated with some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

Medications/Drugs: Acetylcholine has many uses in medicine by blocking, hindering, or mimicking the action. There are either agonists to the receptors which stimulate the system or there are antagonists which inhibit the system. Agonists increase the level of receptor activation, while antagonists reduce it. An example of an agonist receptor is Nicotine, Nicotine acts like a stimulant to the Acetylcholine system so it speeds up the receptors. If you're suffering from Depression taking antidepressants can help by blocking the Acetylcholine receptors.

Acetylcholine (Continued)

Sources:-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylcholine#Associated_disorders-http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/genpsyneurotransmitters.html-http://neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s1/chapter11.html

-http://www.vitalhealthzone.com/health/glossary/a/acetylcholine.html#2 -http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/biol115/wyatt/neuro/axon.htm-http://faculty.pasadena.edu/dkwon/chap%208_files/images/image61.png

-http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/genpsyneurotransmitters.html-http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/biol115/wyatt/neuro/axon.htm-http://quizlet.com/4113290/psychology-202-test-1-flash-cards/

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfr0dCxUuJQ

Further information: http://www.chemistryexplained.com/A-Ar/Acetylcholine.html#b

By Mike Hoefer, Stella Duong, Taylor McDonald, and LIzzie Cleary