Kilduff T S, Bowersox S S, Kaitin K I, Baker T L, Ciaranello R D, Dement W C
Sleep. 1986;9(1 Pt 2):102-6. doi: 10.1093/sleep/9.1.102.
The role of the muscarinic cholinergic receptor in narcolepsy was examined using radioligand binding to various brain regions of normal and genetically narcoleptic Doberman pinschers. In this multi-litter study, a previous report of a proliferation of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the brainstem was confirmed, and the concentration of the M2 receptor subtype, in particular, was elevated. This up-regulation of brainstem cholinergic receptors suggests a problem with release of acetylcholine, which, together with previous reports of an impairment of dopamine release, may be indicative of a fundamental membrane problem in narcolepsy.
