Pharmacologic induction of cholinergic system up-regulation and supersensitivity in affective disorders research.

Phenomenological, physiological, biochemical, and receptor binding measures are useful as dependent variables in affective disorders research. Abnormalities of these measures can result from up-regulation and supersensitivity of cholinergic systems and disturbances of cholinergic-monoaminergic interaction. These deviations are safely and inexpensively produced by pharmacologic induction of up-regulation and supersensitivity of central muscarinic cholinergic systems. Techniques for inducing these changes in cholinergic systems are reviewed, and principles governing their application to specific problems are illustrated.