ReviewBasic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology2025
Therapeutic Targeting of the α7 Nicotinic Receptor: Challenges and Prospects for Cognitive Improvement in Alzheimer's and Schizophrenia.
Review in Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Modulatory effects of α7-nicotinic cholinergic receptors on perceptual sensitivity in a visual signal detection task.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Discovery of Anti-Neuroinflammatory Compounds in Alzheimer's Disease: Current Trends and Future Perspectives.Molecular neurobiology · 2026Review
- Nicotine in Neurodegenerative and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Mechanisms and Clinical Evidence.Neurochemical research · 2026Review
- Astrocytes mediate the pro-cognitive value of α7nAChRs and of α7nAChR-targeting therapeutics.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- A new framework for nicotinic receptor-targeted therapeutic strategies in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2026Article
- Common metabolic, environmental, and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Review
- Tobacco use and cognitive impairment: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and knowledge structure.Tobacco induced diseases · 2026Article
- Development of a novel alpha7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-selective cell-penetrating peptide for intracellular cargo transport.Drug delivery · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) has emerged as a key target for treating cognitive dysfunction in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and schizophrenia. α7 nAChRs play essential roles in neurotransmission, neuroinflammation and synaptic plasticity, not only in neurons but also in glial cells, where they engage in metabotropic signalling. Despite promising preclinical findings, clinical trials of α7 nAChR agonists, partial agonists and positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) have yielded inconsistent results, with few achieving sustained cognitive benefits in patients. This review examines the functional properties of α7 nAChRs, ionotropic and metabotropic signalling roles, and their contribution to cognitive processes in AD and schizophrenia. We provide a comprehensive analysis of key α7-targeted compounds that advanced to clinical trials, detailing their outcomes and challenges. Additionally, we discuss major translational barriers, including receptor desensitization, pharmacokinetic limitations, inter-individual variability (e.g., effects of smoking on metabolism) and species differences in preclinical models. Finally, we explore innovative strategies to improve trial success, including optimized dosing regimens, co-administration with PAMs and neuroimaging techniques like PET to refine patient selection and drug evaluation. These approaches may offer a more effective pathway for developing α7-targeted cognitive therapies in AD and schizophrenia.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.