Figure 1.

Schematic diagram of choline neurotransmission. ACh is synthesized by choline acetylcholine transferase (ChAT) from the cytoplasm of cholinergic presynaptic neurons by acetyl-coA and choline acetylcholine transferase. It is then transferred to synaptic vesicular follicles via vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). Depolarization of presynaptic neurons promotes extracellular secretion of ACh, which can then bind to nicotine or muscarinic receptors, leading to stimulatory or inhibitory responses. AChE rapidly hydrolyzes acetylcholine at the synaptic cleft, releasing acetate and choline, which are reabsorbed by the high-affinity choline transporter (CHT1) into presynaptic cholinergic neurons.