Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors are Possible Therapeutic Targets for Schizophrenia

Abstract

The rate of smoking in patients with schizophrenia is higher than that in the general population. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are involved in the sensorimotor gating deˆcits in schizophrenia. We have revealed that nicotine ameliorates the disruption of the PPI, a model of sensorimotor gating, which is induced by apomorphine, a dopamine receptor agonist, but is not eŠective for the disruption of the PPI induced by phencyclidine, a glutamine NMDA receptor antagonist, in rats. Furthermore, the ameliorating eŠect of nicotine is antagonized by methyllycaconitine, a selective a 7 nAChR antagonist. The eŠect of nocitine was also investigated in the stereotyped behavior induced by apomorphine, however, nicotine was found to have no signiˆcant eŠect. Considering these results, the ameliorating eŠect of the disruption of the PPI via a 7 nAChR is therefore thought to be involved in dopaminergic systems. The dopaminergic systems involved in a 7 nAChR may be diŠerent from the systems involved in stereotypy. In addition, this review describes the eŠects of the a 7 nicotinic receptor agonists.