The unsolved mystery of hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide: A potent cholinergic regulator

Justin Y Cho; Noriyuki Matsukawa

doi:10.4103/bc.bc_14_21

The unsolved mystery of hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide: A potent cholinergic regulator

Brain Circ. 2021 Mar 30;7(1):29-32. doi: 10.4103/bc.bc_14_21. eCollection 2021 Jan-Mar.

Authors

Justin Y Cho¹, Noriyuki Matsukawa²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA.
² Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan.

Abstract

Cholinergic efferent networks located from the medial septal nucleus to the hippocampus play a pivotal role in learning and memory outcomes by generating regular theta rhythms that enhance information retention. Hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide (HCNP), derived from the N-terminus of HCNP precursor protein (HCNP-pp), promotes the synthesis of acetylcholine in the medial septal nuclei. HCNP-pp deletion significantly reduced theta power in CA1 possibly due to lower levels of choline acetyltransferase-positive axons in CA1 stratum oriens, suggesting cholinergic disruptions in the septo-hippocampal system. This review also explores HCNP as a potent cholinergic regulator in the septo-hippocampal network while also examining the limitations of our understanding of the neurostimulating peptide.

Keywords: Cholinergic projection; hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide; hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide precursor protein; septo-hippocampal network; theta power.

Publication types

Review