Paula,

Laughing at the ominous collecting in pools comment; you are funny. I think of a new sort of West Side Story with our neurotransmitters in primary roles!

Speaking of ominous...I ran across this disturbing, but highy detailed and nicely formatted governmental site that has multiple pages explaining the function of acetylcholine, the peptide (AcHe), and the main types of receptors: the nicitinic and the muscarinic. The CDC site on environmental toxins explores something called cholinergic toxicity and its symptoms, etc....interestingly enough this toxic buildup can result from toxic exposure to insecticides or chemical warfare nerve agents. Yikes, interesting to see a pesticide link though.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/cholin...nhibitors.html

What is more alarming, but not at all surprising, is that abrupt withdrawal from an anti-cholinergic can cause what is called "cholinergic rebound" with some serious symptoms. When we end up with too much acetylcholine we can get a "cholinergic toxidrome".

I find the research on how the receptors (muscarinic) are implicated in demential and that they are different again for PD and AD.

Comparative alterations of nicotinic and muscarinic binding sites in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Aubert I, Araujo DM, Cécyre D, Robitaille Y, Gauthier S, Quirion R.

Department of Neurology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Interesting to pursue and may post more later...

Anyone know if too much a-choline causes a focal dystonia (like my darn foot) or a general dystonia?

Laura