Editing Acetylcholine (section)

==Biochemistry==

Acetylcholine is synthesized in certain [[neuron]]s by the [[enzyme]] [[choline acetyltransferase]] from the compounds [[choline]] and [[acetyl-CoA]]. Cholinergic neurons are capable of producing ACh. An example of a central cholinergic area is the nucleus basalis of Meynert in the basal forebrain.<ref name="pmid19662940">{{cite journal | vauthors = Smythies J | title = Philosophy, perception, and neuroscience | journal = Perception | volume = 38 | issue = 5 | pages = 638–51 | date = 2009 | pmid = 19662940 | doi = 10.1068/p6025 | s2cid = 45579740 }}</ref><ref name="pmid27199688">{{cite journal | vauthors = Smythies J, d'Oreye de Lantremange M | title = The Nature and Function of Digital Information Compression Mechanisms in the Brain and in Digital Television Technology | journal = Front Syst Neurosci | volume = 10 | pages = 40 | date = 2016 | pmid = 27199688 | pmc = 4858531 | doi = 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00040  | doi-access = free }}</ref>
The enzyme [[acetylcholinesterase]] converts acetylcholine into the inactive [[metabolites]] [[choline]] and [[acetate]]. This enzyme is abundant in the synaptic cleft, and its role in rapidly clearing free acetylcholine from the synapse is essential for proper muscle function. Certain [[neurotoxins]] work by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, thus leading to excess acetylcholine at the [[neuromuscular junction]], causing paralysis of the muscles needed for breathing and stopping the beating of the heart.