CHRNA7 and Cognitive impairment: This may be important because deficits in activation of hippocampal α7* nAChRs have been linked to certain cognitive disorders and enhancing α7* nAChR activation by systemic administration of nicotinic agonists has been shown to produce neuroprotection and cognitive benefits [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [21], [28], [29], [30], [57], [65].