What is Acetylcholine (ACh)? Let's find out exactly what it does to our bodies!

Have you ever heard of acetylcholine , or (ACh)? Maybe your doctor has told you about it, or you have read about it somewhere. It is a small but very important chemical in our body. It is like a little postman who carries messages inside our body. So, today we will talk about acetylcholine in a simple way that you can understand.

What exactly is Acetylcholine?

Simply put, acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter . Think about it, your brain needs to send little electrical messages to move your hand, think, remember something, all of these things. Acetylcholine is a chemical messenger that helps carry those messages through nerve cells .

This is also called an " excitatory " neurotransmitter . Do you know what that is? It "wakes up" a nerve cell, that is, stimulates it, and makes it "send" messages faster. It's like knocking on a sleeping person's door and saying, "Here, take this letter."

The name acetylcholine comes from two things that make it. One is an acetyl group . This comes from a compound called acetyl coenzyme A, which is made from the sugar glucose. The other is a nutrient called choline . Choline is found naturally in egg yolks, soy, liver, vegetables, and legumes. Choline is also made in our liver.

Acetylcholine is involved in many important functions in our body. It plays a key role in voluntary muscle movement, which is the movement of our limbs and walking that we can control . It stimulates nerve cells in the muscles, causing them to contract. It is also important for nerve cells in our brain, and for processes such as memory, thinking, and learning.

How does acetylcholine (ACh) work?

Acetylcholine is stored at the ends of nerve cells, until a message needs to be sent. When a “signal” arrives to send a message, this stored acetylcholine is released. Once released, it travels into a small gap between two nerve cells. This gap is called the synaptic cleft .

After crossing the synaptic cleft, there are two types of receptors that acetylcholine can bind to. They are:

• Nicotinic receptors
• Muscarinic receptors

After binding to these receptors, the chemical message travels along to the next nerve cell. After the message is sent, the acetylcholine that remains in the synaptic cleft doesn't just go to waste. Another enzyme called acetylcholinesterase comes along and breaks this acetylcholine down into its constituent parts, choline and acetate. Then these broken-down parts are reabsorbed, recycled, and used to carry another chemical message. A very efficient system!

What happens to acetylcholine (ACh)?

Acetylcholine has many benefits for our bodies. Let's take a look at the main ones.

Both types of receptors are involved in our memory . That is, they are important for long-term memory, short-term memory, the formation of memories, their consolidation, and their retrieval. Inside the brain, acetylcholine is involved in other things. It promotes motivation, interest/attention, learning, and REM sleep (the stage of sleep in which we dream).

What are the conditions that occur when acetylcholine (ACh) levels decrease?

Low levels of acetylcholine, or deficiency, can lead to several diseases. The most important of these are:

• Alzheimer's disease : People with Alzheimer's disease do not have enough acetylcholine in their brains. As a result, memory loss is a major symptom.
• Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome : This disease is caused by a decrease in the release of acetylcholine from nerve cells.
• Myasthenia gravis : This is an autoimmune disease that causes the skeletal muscles to weaken rapidly after repeated use.

What are the drugs that target acetylcholine (ACh)?

Cholinesterase inhibitors are a class of drugs that work by inactivating the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine and increasing the activity of acetylcholine receptors. They are used to treat Alzheimer's disease and myasthenia gravis. Donepezil (Aricept®), Rivastigmine (Exelon®), and Galantamine (Razadyne®) are some of these drugs.

What foods contain choline, which helps produce acetylcholine (ACh)?

Choline, a nutrient that converts to acetylcholine, is found in many foods. For example:

• Beef liver
• Eggs (especially the yolks)
• Beef top round
• Roasted soybeans, canned kidney beans
• Roasted chicken breast
• Cod fish `(Cod)`
• Cooked quinoa
• Cooked shiitake mushrooms, boiled broccoli and Brussels sprouts
• Milk (1%) `(Milk (1%))`, nonfat vanilla yogurt `(nonfat vanilla yogurt)`

Try adding these foods to your diet. A balanced diet is very important for a healthy life.