muscarinergic
Muscarinergic refers to the actions and receptors mediated by acetylcholine at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). The term derives from muscarine, a toxin found in certain mushrooms that selectively activates these receptors, and is used to distinguish muscarinic signaling from nicotinic cholinergic signaling.
Muscarinic receptors are a family of G protein–coupled receptors divided into five subtypes, M1 through M5.
Pharmacologically, muscarinergic activity is driven by endogenous acetylcholine and can be influenced by agonists such as
In research and medicine, muscarinergic signaling is studied for its roles in learning and memory, sensory