The neurotransmitter and receptor type common to ALL autonomic ganglia, both sympathetic and parasympathetic, is:

• A Norepinephrine on alpha-1 receptors
• B Epinephrine on beta-1 receptors
• C Acetylcholine on muscarinic receptors
• D Acetylcholine on nicotinic receptors ✓

Explanation

Every preganglionic neuron, sympathetic or parasympathetic, releases acetylcholine that acts on nicotinic receptors on the postganglionic cell or chromaffin cell. This is why ganglionic blockers such as hexamethonium abolish the effects of both divisions simultaneously, a pharmacological fact exploited historically in autonomic research. Muscarinic receptors (option C) sit at postganglionic parasympathetic effector sites, not ganglia, and catecholamines are not ganglionic transmitters.

Reference: Katzung Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 15th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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