Behavioural Plasticity and the Cholinergic System

Evidence for the involvement of the cholinergic system in behavioural plasticity is reviewed by considering three forms of behavioural plasticity: habituation, learning and memory, and tolerance development. Although the cholinergic system may modulate the response tendencies of an animal, it does not appear to be involved in the process of habituation. A number of studies have indicated that the cholinergic system may be involved in learning and memory processes in infrahuman animals. In general, cholinergic antagonists tend to disrupt memory while agonists may, under the appropriate conditions, facilitate memory. Recent studies have pointed to a relation between dysfunctions of the cholinergic system and dysfunctions of memory in aged animals. Studies of tolerance development suggest that the cholinergic system may undergo plastic changes which may underlie the development of tolerance to some drugs, with receptor alterations being the most reproducible finding. However, more work is necessary to establish the degree of plasticity. The cholinergic system also appears to be involved in learning and memory processes in humans. However, attempts to correct the memory deficits in aged humans by manipulating the cholinergic system have met with limited success. The reasons for this lack of success are briefly considered.