[Acetylcholine receptors (author's transl)].

The actions of acetylcholine can be classified as nicotine-like or muscarine-like. Nicotinic actions of acetylcholine are seen at the skeletal neuromuscular junction and at autonomic ganglia whereas muscarinic transmission occurs at parasympathetic effector organs and in the brain. The sites on the membrane surface of a neuronal cell body or dendrite where acetylcholine acts is called a receptor site. There has been marked progress in the last few years in the identification and quantification of acetylcholine receptors by biochemical methods by means of specific radioactive ligands of very high activity and very high affinity for these receptors. Using these techniques it has been possible to: determine the regional distribution of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors in the brain, evaluate new drugs acting on these receptors, and determine the concentration of these receptors in neurologic disorders.