Research update: Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease

Aberrant amyloid-P peptide (A beta) accumulation along with altered expression and function of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) stand prominently in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since the discovery that A beta is bound to alpha 7 nAChRs under many experimental settings, including post-mortem AD brain, much effort has been expended to understand the implications of this interaction in the disease milieu. This research update will review the current literature on the a7 nAChR-A beta interaction in vitro and in vivo, the functional consequences of this interaction from sub-cellular to cognitive levels, and discuss the implications these relationships might have for AD therapies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.