Cholinergic receptor, nicotinic, alpha 6, also known as CHRNA6, is a human gene,[1] which codes for the α6 subunit found in certain types of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors found primarily in the brain. Neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors containing α6 subunits are expressed on dopamine-releasing neurons in the midbrain,[2] and dopamine release following activation of these neurons is thought to be involved in the addictive properties of nicotine.[3][4][5] Due to their selective localisation on dopaminergic neurons, α6-containing nACh receptors have also been suggested as a possible therapeutic target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.[6][7]
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Click on genes, proteins and metabolites below to link to respective articles. [8]
This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.
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