Central Cholinergic Systems and behavior reviews experimental evidence on the possible involvement of central cholinergic systems in the regulation of animal behavior. More specifically, the book investigates the role of acetylcholine as a transmitter in the mammalian spinal cord and in central nervous function. This text also describes cholinergic involvement in some of the more fundamental processes of central nervous functions and how it may fit into overall cholinergic and non-cholinergic behavioral patterns. This book is organized into seven chapters and begins with an overview of the link between central cholinergic mechanisms and behavior, and then discusses the cholinergic roles in consciousness, emphasizing on the roles of reticular systems in the arousal mechanism. An effort is made to define the cholinergic nature of some spinal mechanisms that are apparently involved in reflexes and posture. An account of the role of cholinergic mechanisms in central respiratory control is also given, along with the function of acetylcholine as an important transmitter at many sites of the central nervous system. The book concludes by analyzing the roles of cholinergic systems in motivated behaviors, emotion, learning, and memory. This book is a valuable resource for students and researchers in fields ranging from physiology to biology and psychiatry.