What Is Acetylcholine?
Health ConditionsHormones & Metabolic Disorders

What Is Acetylcholine?

Diet might play a role in the production of acetylcholine and a decreased risk of certain diseases.
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Updated on September 1, 2023
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Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that plays an important role in muscle movements, thinking, and working memory, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Working memory is the brain’s ability to hold information in the mind temporarily.

Problems with the production and use of acetylcholine are hallmarks of diseases such as dementia and myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune disease that weakens the muscles).

Acetylcholine Receptors

Acetylcholine receptors are proteins to which acetylcholine binds, allowing signals to flow from one nerve cell to another.

Drugs that work on the acetylcholine receptors have many medical uses, including the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and myasthenia gravis.

Medications that stimulate acetylcholine receptors are called agonists, while those that inhibit receptors are called antagonists.

Acetylcholine and Alzheimer’s Disease

People with Alzheimer’s disease produce less acetylcholine, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Medications that stop the breakdown of acetylcholine in the brain, called cholinesterase inhibitors, may be prescribed to people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s symptoms.

These drugs may help delay or prevent behavioral symptoms such as agitation, delusions, or sundowning (a state of confusion and distress late in the day) from becoming worse for a limited period of time.

However, they may lose their effectiveness as the brain produces less and less acetylcholine.

Acetylcholine Foods and Supplements

There are no foods or supplements that contain the chemical acetylcholine, according to the Cleveland Clinic, though some foods and supplements may contain the building blocks of acetylcholine.

Choline is an essential nutrient and a building block of acetylcholine. Foods that are naturally high in choline include whole eggs, meats and fish, and whole grains. Choline supplements are available as well.

Studies in laboratory animals and humans suggest that consuming foods or supplements rich in choline may elevate levels of acetylcholine in the brain, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This means that choline could potentially have a protective effect against certain types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

However, more research is needed to tease out the complicated relationship between dietary choline and brain function.

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Jessica Baity, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Jessica Baity, MD, is a board-certified neurologist practicing in southern Louisiana. She cares for a variety of patients in all fields of neurology, including epilepsy, headache, dementia, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

She received a bachelor's degree in international studies and history from the University of Miami and a master's in international relations from American University. She graduated from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine, where she also did her internship in internal medicine and her residency in neurology.

Prior to practicing medicine, she worked in international relations and owned a foreign language instruction and translation company. 

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Lindsey Konkel

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Lindsey Konkel is an award-winning freelance journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering health, science, and the environment. Her work has appeared online and in print for Newsweek, National Geographic, Huffington Post, Consumer Reports, Everyday Health, Science, Environmental Health Perspectives, UCSF Magazine, American Association for Cancer Research, and others.

She previously worked as an editor and staff writer at Environmental Health News. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from NYU’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program and a bachelor’s degree in biology from College of the Holy Cross.

Konkel lives in Haddon Township, New Jersey, with her husband, daughter, three cats, and dog. When she isn't writing, she handles social media and content marketing for a small veterinary clinic she started with her husband, Neabore Veterinary Clinic.

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