Locus coeruleus

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The locus coeruleus, which I'll refer to as the LC from here on out to avoid an inevitable misspelling, is a nucleus found in the pons. It is located near the floor of the fourth ventricle. In the early s , the term locus coeruleus, which means "blue spot" in Latin, was used to refer to that pigmented region. It wasn't until the second half of the twentieth century, however, that new techniques allowed scientists to learn that the blue coloring in the LC is caused by the production of a pigment formed by chemical reactions involving the neurotransmitter norepinephrine also known as noradrenaline. It is now known that the LC is the primary site of norepinephrine production in the brain. The nucleus sends norepinephrine throughout the cerebral cortex as well as to a variety of other structures including the amygdala , hippocampus , cerebellum , and spinal cord.

Locus coeruleus

Federal government websites often end in. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. NCBI Bookshelf. Navneet K. Khroud ; Vamsi Reddy ; Abdolreza Saadabadi. Authors Navneet K. Khroud 1 ; Vamsi Reddy 2 ; Abdolreza Saadabadi 3. The RAS is composed of the reticular formation, raphe nuclei, and locus coeruleus. It is involved in many important functions; normally, the RAS mediates consciousness, wakefulness, and attentiveness.

Understanding the locus coeruleus can help in finding the best treatment option for many neurological disorders. Curr Neuropharmacol.

The locus coeruleus LC , a small brainstem nucleus, is the primary source of the neuromodulator norepinephrine NE in the brain. The LC receives input from widespread brain regions, and projects throughout the forebrain, brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord. LC neurons release NE to control arousal, but also in the context of a variety of sensory-motor and behavioral functions. Despite its brain-wide effects, much about the role of LC-NE in behavior and the circuits controlling LC activity is unknown. New evidence suggests that the modular input-output organization of the LC could enable transient, task-specific modulation of distinct brain regions. Future work must further assess whether this spatial modularity coincides with functional differences in LC-NE subpopulations acting at specific times, and how such spatiotemporal specificity might influence learned behaviors. Here, we summarize the state of the field and present new ideas on the role of LC-NE in learned behaviors.

Federal government websites often end in. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. NCBI Bookshelf. Navneet K. Khroud ; Vamsi Reddy ; Abdolreza Saadabadi. Authors Navneet K. Khroud 1 ; Vamsi Reddy 2 ; Abdolreza Saadabadi 3. The RAS is composed of the reticular formation, raphe nuclei, and locus coeruleus. It is involved in many important functions; normally, the RAS mediates consciousness, wakefulness, and attentiveness.

Locus coeruleus

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Noradrenergic ensemble-based modulation of cognition over multiple timescales. There and back again: a tale of norepinephrine and drug addiction. Koylu, E. Norepinephrine-containing locus coeruleus neurons in behaving rats exhibit pronounced responses to non-noxious environmental stimuli. Watabe-Uchida, M. In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Noradrenaline-mediated inhibition by locus coeruleus of spinal trigeminal neurons. USA 95 , — A Anatomy of the outputs originating from the LC nucleus in human and mouse. Appleton and Company. Neuropharmacology 62 , — Induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation during waking leads to increased extrahippocampal zif expression during ensuing rapid-eye-movement sleep. The norepinephrine transporter regulates dopamine-dependent synaptic plasticity in the mouse dorsal hippocampus.

The locus coeruleus, which in Latin means "blue spot", is the principal site for brain synthesis of norepinephrine noradrenaline. The locus coeruleus and the areas of the body affected by the norepinephrine it produces are described collectively as the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system or LC-NA system. The locus coeruleus LC is located in the posterior area of the rostral pons in the lateral floor of the fourth ventricle.

Sara SJ. Opioids inhibit the firing of neurons in the locus coeruleus. Vermeiren, Y. Holm, P. Codistribution of GABA- with acetylcholine-synthesizing neurons in the basal forebrain of the rat. Hypocretin-1 modulates rapid eye movement sleep through activation of locus coeruleus neurons. Complementing the increase in anxiety following LC activation see 2. Numerous GABAergic afferents to locus ceruleus in the pericerulear dendritic zone: possible interneuronal pool. Hokfelt, eds. Synapse 37 , — Acta Physiol. This is notable because neuronal loss in the nucleus basalis and substantia nigra are considered hallmark signs of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, respectively. Spinal projections of the locus coeruleus and the nucleus subcoeruleus in the Harlan and the Sasco Sprague-Dawley rat. Martins, A. The mechanism of action of vagus nerve stimulation in treatment-resistant depression: current conceptualizations.