Targeting the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in Alzheimer’s disease

Dwomoh, L. , Tejeda, G. S. and Tobin, A. B. (2022) Targeting the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in Alzheimer’s disease. Neuronal Signaling, 6(1), NS20210004. (doi: 10.1042/NS20210004) (PMID:35571495) (PMCID:PMC9069568)

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and despite extensive research, only a few drugs are available for management of the disease. One strategy has been to upregulate cholinergic neurotransmission to improve cognitive function, but this approach has dose-limiting adverse effects. To avoid these adverse effects, new drugs that target specific receptor subtypes of the cholinergic system are needed, and the M1 subtype of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M1-mAChR) has been shown to be a good target for this approach. By using several strategies, M1-mAChR ligands have been developed and trialled in preclinical animal models and in human studies, with varying degrees of success. This article reviews the different approaches to targeting the M1-mAChR in AD and discusses the advantages and limitations of these strategies. The factors to consider in targeting the M1-mAChR in AD are also discussed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Tejeda, Dr Gonzalo and Tobin, Andrew and Dwomoh, Dr Louis
• Authors: Dwomoh, L., Tejeda, G. S., and Tobin, A. B.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Molecular Biosciences
• Journal Name: Neuronal Signaling
• Publisher: Portland Press
• ISSN: 2059-6553
• ISSN (Online): 2059-6553
• Published Online: 05 April 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Neuronal Signaling 6(1): NS20210004
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License