Abstract
The effects of nicotine, physostigmine and pilocarpine on the excitability of intrageniculate optic tract terminals, amplitude of orthodromic lateral geniculate responses and the presynaptic inhibition evoked in the lateral geniculate nucleus by stimulation of the reticular formation or the visual cortex were studied. Nicotine decreased or abolished the presynaptic inhibition, with a simultaneous increase in the resting excitability of presynaptic optic tract terminals. Similar effects were observed after physostigmine. Pilocarpine did not have any significant effect on the presynaptic inhibition or on the resting excitability of optic tract fibres. The results were interpreted as indicating that N-cholinergic mechanisms take part in the presynaptic inhibitory activity of the lateral geniculate nucleus.
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