Question

Outline two (but really 3) ways in which drugs can act at a cholinergic synapse:

1. Nicotine can cause work as a direct agonist and activate acetylcholine .
2. Atropine and Curare act as direct antagonists.
3. Alzeihmers medicine can keep neurons from being stimulated and is an indirect agonist.

Answer 1

Drugs affect cholinergic synapses by acting as direct agonists like nicotine, direct antagonists like atropine and curare, or indirect agonists such as Alzheimer's medications that inhibit acetylcholinesterase.

Step-by-step explanation:

Drugs can interact with the cholinergic synapse by various means:

1. Nicotine serves as a direct agonist, binding to nicotinic receptors at the neuromuscular junction and autonomic ganglia. This binding mimics the action of acetylcholine (ACh), leading to neuronal depolarization and subsequent muscle activation or autonomic responses.
2. Atropine and curare function as direct antagonists by blocking ACh receptors—specifically muscarinic receptors for atropine and nicotinic receptors for curare—thus preventing ACh from triggering its usual effects.
3. Medications for Alzheimer's disease, like AChE inhibitors, act as indirect agonists. They inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which normally breaks down ACh, resulting in increased concentrations of ACh at synapses, enhancing cholinergic transmission.

These drug interactions can either amplify or inhibit the transmission of signals across the cholinergic synapses, affecting the parasympathetic nervous system's functions.