In this book, brain cholinergic systems are examined by leading authorities drawn from the fields of morphology, immunochemistry, electrophysiology, behaviour, and the study of cognitive disorders. The book covers major aspects of the organization and connectivity of cholinergic systems at the light and electron-microscopic levels, intrinsic electrophysiological properties, and ionic conductances of central cholinergic neurons. It also discusses the effects of brainstem and basal forebrain cholinergic systems upon thalamic and cortical neurons, plasticity processes in the thalamins and cerebral cortex; and studies on Alzheimer's disease.