Müller W E, Stoll L, Schubert T, Gelbmann C M
Department of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Federal Republic of Germany.
Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl. 1991;366:34-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1991.tb03107.x.
Normal aging in experimental animals and humans has been demonstrated to affect various aspects of central cholinergic functions. Although deficits at the levels of the number of cholinergic neurons, the acetylcholine synthesis, and the number of muscarinic cholinergic receptors are probably less relevant, deficits at the levels of acetylcholine release, muscarinic cholinergic receptor plasticity, as well as muscarinic cholinergic receptor function are fairly pronounced and seem to justify the assumption that the functioning of the central cholinergic system is impaired by aging. However, whether these cholinergic deficits of normal aging are the sole neurochemical basis to explain age-associated memory impairment or whether other transmitter systems also play a role is still a matter of controversy.
实验动物和人类的正常衰老已被证明会影响中枢胆碱能功能的各个方面。虽然胆碱能神经元数量、乙酰胆碱合成以及毒蕈碱型胆碱能受体数量水平的缺陷可能不太相关，但乙酰胆碱释放、毒蕈碱型胆碱能受体可塑性以及毒蕈碱型胆碱能受体功能水平的缺陷相当明显，似乎可以证明这样一种假设是合理的，即中枢胆碱能系统的功能会因衰老而受损。然而，正常衰老的这些胆碱能缺陷是否是解释与年龄相关的记忆障碍的唯一神经化学基础，或者其他递质系统是否也起作用，仍然存在争议。
