acetylcholine

noun ace·tyl·cho·line \ ə-ˌse-tᵊl-ˈkō-ˌlēn , -ˌsē- ; ˈa-sə-ˌtēl- \

Definition of acetylcholine

:a neurotransmitter [C₇H₁₆NO₂]⁺ released at autonomic synapses and neuromuscular junctions and formed enzymatically in the tissues from choline

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Recent Examples of acetylcholine from the Web

All this emotion tells your hypothalamus to produce the chemical messenger acetylcholine.

— marygrace taylor, SELF, "This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Cry," 18 July 2017
In these cases, a very likely reason for their loss of smell is a decrease in the function of a major neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.

— sandy bauers, Philly.com, "Health Q&A: What it may mean when you can't smell that smell," 7 July 2017
An anticholinergic blocks a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.

— patti singer, USA TODAY, "Side effects of Benadryl, 'PM' meds can harm, not help, seniors," 25 June 2017
These nerve poisons can inhibit an enzyme called cholinesterase, which breaks down a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.

— c. claiborne ray, New York Times, "In Nature, Cockroaches Don’t Die Belly Up," 29 May 2017
In the brain, acetylcholine is involved in learning and memory.

— sheila sullivan zubrod, Washington Post, "How I almost killed my mom with a simple anti-itch pill," 7 May 2017
These drugs either slow the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine or block the overproduction of glutamate in the brain, but none have been shown to work very well for very long.

— pam belluck, New York Times, "What causes Alzheimer’s?," 30 Apr. 2016
All of them impair the function of neuromuscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

— aaron rowe, WIRED, "Powerful New Poison found in Deadly Sea Snails," 11 July 2007
By this means, a precise balance is struck, and the body never builds up a dangerous amount of acetylcholine.

— rachel carson, The New Yorker, "Silent Spring—I," 1 Jan. 1950

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Origin and Etymology of acetylcholine

International Scientific Vocabulary

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1906

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

acetylcholine

noun ace·tyl·cho·line \ ə-ˌset-ᵊl-ˈkō-ˌlēn , -ˌsēt-; ˌas-ə-ˌtēl- \

medical Definition of acetylcholine

:a neurotransmitter [C₇H₁₆NO₂]⁺ released at autonomic synapses and neuromuscular junctions, active in the transmission of nerve impulses, and formed enzymatically in the tissues from choline

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