The functional significance of acetylcholine in the brain.

Abstract

Hunt and Taveau (19o6} were the first to demonstrate its depressor action. Dale (1914}, with the help of his colleague Ewins, identified it in some samples of ergot and studied its pharmacology extensively. In his classical report, he described its evanescent action and suggested that it is hydrolysed rapidly in the body. He also described that it has two kinds of actions: (1) muscarinic and (2) nicotinic. The muscarinic action, a depressor effect on the effector cell, is exerted at the postganglionic endings of the parasympathetic; and its nicotinic action, which consists of an initial stimulation followed by an inhibition is exerted on the ganglionic cells of both the divisions of the autonomic nervous system