ABSTRACT
It is generally agreed that the central cholinergic system plays an important role in learning and memory processes. Alzheimers disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is a devastating illness characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration. The learning and cognitive deficits observed in AD patients are hypothesized to be partly caused by central cholinergic system dysfunction. There exists a malicious cycle in the pathologic course of AD, that is, the impairment of central cholinergic transmission could increase the amount of A? in the brain, and the increase of A? could also impair the efficacy of the cholinergic transmission.
ABSTRACT
Microglia are immunocells in the brain and play key roles in the chronic inflammation of Alzheimers disease. Potassium channels are the important pathway for the microglia response to thechanges of microcircumtance in the brain. And the changes of potassium channels are the important marker of the activated microglia. The potassium channels are involved in the normal and pathological functions of microglia such as maintaining the membrane potential, proliferation, ramification, and the respiratory burst.