Anavex Life Sciences Corp (AVXL)

[F1ash]

I don't recall much attention being paid to maucarinic activity in the discussions on the board.

Anybody got any good links for learning about that? I'll start looking. I have in the past and didn't come up with much at that time.

“Another commonality between AD and SZ is the apparent involvement of dysregulated cholinergic signaling in the brain.3,4 Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter that modulates neuronal function in several areas of the CNS associated with AD and/or SZ pathology, including the striatum, cortex, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex.5 ACh mediates its actions via two families of receptors, termed the muscarinic ACh receptors (mAChRs) and the nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs). Here, we review the potential of mAChR modulation for the treatment of AD and SZ; however, modulation of nAChRs could also provide novel therapeutic avenues for treating these diseases (see Taly et al6 for a comprehensive review).

The mAChR family consists of five subtypes (M1–M5) that can be found throughout the CNS and periphery. These receptors are guanosine nucleotide-binding protein (G-protein)-coupled receptors and can be subdivided based on their canonical signaling pathways. M1, M3, and M5 all signal primarily via the Gaq G-protein and induce Ca2+ mobilization and inositol trisphosphate (IP3) production, while M2 and M4 signal via the Gai G-protein to inhibit cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production. As discussed in further detail below, treatments that broadly augment cholinergic signaling have demonstrated clinical efficacy in treating the cognitive and behavioral deficits observed in AD and SZ patients. However, the clinical utility of these treatments is curtailed by peripherally mediated side effects. The recent discovery of compounds that selectively act at the M1 or M4 receptor have suggested that these receptors may provide viable drug targets with which to safely and effectively treat AD and SZ patients.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3913542/#!po=19.0909