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Acetylcholine (ACh) is ubiquitously present in the nervous system and has been involved in the regulation of various brain functions. By modulating synaptic transmission and promoting synaptic plasticity, particularly in the hippocampus and cortex, ACh plays a pivotal role in the regulation of learning and memory. These procognitive actions of ACh are mediated by the neuronal muscarinic and nicotinic cholinergic receptors. The impairment of cholinergic transmission leads to cognitive decline associated with aging and dementia. Therefore, the cholinergic system has been of prime focus when concerned with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia. In AD, the extensive destruction of cholinergic neurons occurs by amyloid-β plaques and tau protein-rich neurofibrillary tangles. Amyloid-β also blocks cholinergic receptors and obstructs neuronal signaling. This makes the central cholinergic system an important target for the development of drugs for AD. In fact, centrally acting cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil and rivastigmine are approved for the treatment of AD, although the outcome is not satisfactory. Therefore, identification of specific subtypes of cholinergic receptors involved in the pathogenesis of AD is essential to develop future drugs. Also, the identification of endogenous rescue mechanisms to the cholinergic system can pave the way for new drug development. In this article, we discussed the neuroanatomy of the central cholinergic system. Further, various subtypes of muscarinic and nicotinic receptors involved in the cognition and pathophysiology of AD are described in detail. The article also reviewed primary neurotransmitters that regulate cognitive processes by modulating basal forebrain cholinergic projection neurons., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Xanthan gum is a high molecular weight natural polysaccharide produced by fermentation process. It consists of 1, 4-linked β-D-glucose residues, having a trisaccharide side chain attached to alternate D-glucosyl residues. Although the gum has many properties desirable for drug delivery, its practical use is mainly confined to the unmodified forms due to slow dissolution and substantial swelling in biological fluids. Xanthan gum has been chemically modified by conventional chemical methods like carboxymethylation, and grafting such as free radical, microwave-assisted, chemoenzymatic and plasma assisted chemical grafting to alter physicochemical properties for a wide spectrum of biological applications. This article reviews various techniques utilized for modification of xanthan gum and its applications in a range of drug delivery systems.