An enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, a chemical messenger in the brain and nervous system, stopping nerve signals from continuing.
From acetylcholine (acetyl + choline, a nutrient compound) + -esterase (suffix for enzymes that break chemical bonds). Discovered in the early 1900s as neuroscience emerged.
Nerve agents like sarin gas work by poisoning acetylcholinesterase, causing paralysis and death, but the same enzyme-blocking principle is used in Alzheimer's treatments where blocking this enzyme keeps acetylcholine around longer to help struggling brains remember.
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