La denervación 5-HTérgica córtico-frontal induce cambios en la expresión de las subunidades α4 y α7 de los receptores de acetilcolina tipo nicotínico en la corteza prefrontal de la rata adulta

Expression differences observed between the two subtypes may be due to their separate locations. The α4 subtype is found in postsynaptic locations and may be related to adaptive changes in postsynaptic cells, while the location of α7 is presynaptic. This explains why the lesion and the elimination of 5-HT fibres in the CPF would cause a decrease in α7 expression.