The Symposium on Subtypes of Muscarinic Receptors is the sixth in a series of very successful and well-documented conferences held over the past decade which have helped to integrate advance in basic research with the results of studies on the role of these receptors in dysfunctions. The conference organizers and participants are an international group of scientists who represent a breadth of research areas from academia and industry and who have made and are making important contributions to muscarinic receptor research. This Symposium also provides the opportunity for young investigators to present their work and will be the occasion for the first Otto Loewi New Investigator Awards and Lectures sponsored and supported by the Symposium.