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acetylcholine

acetylcholine

4 7.2
A chemical in the body that helps nerves send signals to muscles and the brain
  • noun
  • /ˌæsɪˈtɪlˌkoʊlin/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acetilcolina
  • When you focus, you release brain chemicals like the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that enable plasticity and vivify memory.
  • acetylcholine-induced
  • nicotinic acetylcholine
  • response to acetylcholine

Botulism toxin causes an inhibition of the release of acetylcholine, as diagrammed here.

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Examples

  • In lab rats, a surge in acetylcholine leads to memory improvements a month later.

  • Botulism toxin causes an inhibition of the release of acetylcholine, as diagrammed here.

  • However, we observed little dose response to acetylcholine in either group.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Selective impairment to acetylcholine suggests that, at a molecular level, the defect is limited to a specific pathway.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to acetylcholine is impaired in the coronary microvasculature of hypercholesterolaemic subjects.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Botulinum toxin blocks the release of acetylcholine from nerve endings and can selectively and reversibly induce muscle weakness and help reduce spasticity.

    Academic text (2015)
  • For our muscles to spring into action, they must be stimulated by acetylcholine released from a nerve ending.

  • The drug helps boost levels of a chemical messenger in the brain called acetylcholine, which aids in memory.

Synonyms

neurotransmitter
vsacetylcholine
  • Specialized
9 5.5

A chemical that carries signals between nerve cells

is one specific chemical of that class released at nerve fibre ends
ACh
vsacetylcholine
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A chemical messenger that carries signals between nerve cells

is the full name used instead of the shortened written form

Surface Forms

acetylcholine singular

Morphology

acetylcholine = acetyl + choline (opaque) = acetyl + choline

The word is transparently formed as acetyl + choline in chemical nomenclature (a derivative of choline), but this is specialized biochemical knowledge.

Etymology

Acetylcholine comes from two parts: acetyl, from a word for 'vinegar' (like 'acetic' acid), and choline, from a Greek word for 'bile' and the same root in cholesterol. So, acetylcholine is the chemical made from those parts that carries messages between nerves and helps muscles move.