209 Midbrain dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area (VTA) express a variety of nAChR subunits (α4-α7 and β2), with β2 subunit containing nAChRs dominating (~40% of rat dopaminergic VTA neurons express the a7nAChR subunit.214 CRM1 inhibitor Cholinergic afferents into the midbrain enhance glutamate transmission

via mainly presynaptic oc7 nAChRs on glutamatergic terminals,215 thereby influencing the firing frequency and firing modes of DA neurons.216 Association of α7nAChRs with Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical schizophrenia α7 nAChRs have been associated with schizophrenia across several domains. A linkage was found between the α7 nAChR and schizophrenia on chromosome 15q13-14,206 a region containing the gene that encodes for the oc7 nAChR (CHRNA-7). Although Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical no amino acid-coding region polymorphisms have been found, multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of CHRNA-7 as well as a partial duplication of CHRNA-7, have been characterized, with certain alleles more frequently present in people with schizophrenia.217

Reduced α7 receptor binding was found in the reticular nucleus of the thalamus,218 hippocampus,219 and cingulate cortex.220 Moreover, there were reduced a7 subunit levels in Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the DLPFC,221 as well as reduced mRNA expression of α7 in peripheral blood lymphocytes222 of patients with schizophrenia. In addition to the clinical data, preclinical evidence implicates α7nAChR function in regulating cognition. Mice deficient in α7nAChRs have impaired sustained attention,223 while administration of α7nAChR antagonists224 and agonists225 impair and enhance, respectively, working Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical memory in rodents. α7nAChR full agonists The α7nAChR agonist, (-)-spiro[1-azabucyclo[2,2,2]octane3,5′-oxazolidin-2′-one]

(ARR 17779), significantly improved learning Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and memory in rats,225 while an α7nAChR agonist with 5-HT3 receptor antagonist properties, improved the inhibition of the P50 response in schizophrenia.226 A novel selective oc7nAChR agonist, 5-morpholin-4-yl-pentaoic acid (4-pyridin-3-yl-phenyl)-amide (SEN12333), with only weak antagonist activity at α3-containing receptors, was shown to have procognitive properties in rats across several domains, including episodic memory, attention, and perceptual processing.227 Dipeptidyl peptidase α7nAChR partial agonists 3-(2,4 Dimethoxy)benzylidene-anabaseine (DMXBA) is one of a series of compounds derived from anabaseine, an alkaloid found in marine worms. DMXBA is a partial agonist at the α7nAChR and is a weak competitive antagonist at the α4/32 nAChR and at the 5-HT3 receptor. The metabolites of DMXBA are also active at these receptors, but their biological effect may be limited due to their greater polarity, and therefore greater difficulty in crossing the blood-brain barrier.