*Modes of Acetylcholine Signaling in the Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for Cholinergic… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110462*

Furthermore, reexamining AD and alcohol-related brain damage through the lens of the tonic phasic distinction may allow researchers to hone in on the exact mechanisms by which cholinergic dysfunction occurs in these diseases and therefore develop new treatments. A reconceptualization of these disorders in terms of the mounting evidence that ACh in the prefrontal cortex is phasic in regard to many of the cognitive symptoms seen in AD may lead us to a better understanding of how the current pharmacological treatments for these diseases work and how to improve them. Similarly, updating our understanding of alcohol-related brain damage using this new conceptualization of ACh signaling in the prefrontal cortex may lead the field into novel treatments and ways to prevent or even reverse cholinergic deficits that arise *via* exposure to heavy amounts of alcohol. Such advancements may be possible with a reevaluation of the way that ACh signaling in the cortex contributes to behavior.
