What happens when nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are activated?
What happens when nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are activated? Activation of excitatory receptors, such as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs),1 is known to depolarize cells and activate voltage-gated ion channels. Thus, different ligand-gated excitatory receptors provide pathways for Ca2+ entry that are independent of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. What do nicotinic acetylcholine receptors do? Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. At the neuromuscular junction they are the primary receptor in muscle for motor nerve-muscle communication that controls muscle contraction. Are there nicotinic receptors in the CNS? This structural diversity and the presynaptic, axonal, and postsynaptic...