Locus coeruleus

The locus coeruleus is a small nucleus in the pons and the brain’s main source of norepinephrine. Its neurons project widely and help regulate arousal, attention, stress responses, and sleep.

Norepinephrine: A neurotransmitter and hormone involved in arousal, attention, and the body’s stress response. The locus coeruleus releases this chemical to influence neural activity across the brain.
Pons: A brainstem region between the midbrain and medulla that connects neural pathways and supports several functions. The locus coeruleus lies in the dorsal pons.
Attention: The selective prioritization of information for processing and action. Norepinephrine from the locus coeruleus helps tune responsiveness to salient information.
Substantia nigra: A midbrain structure whose dopamine-producing neurons support movement and learning. Unlike the locus coeruleus’s norepinephrine system, its prominent projections use dopamine.
Félix Vicq-d'Azyr: An eighteenth-century French anatomist who described structures in the human brain. His anatomical work is associated with an early description of the locus coeruleus.
Phasic and tonic firing: Two patterns of neuronal activity: brief bursts and sustained baseline firing. These firing modes are linked to focused responses and broader changes in alertness.
Brainstem: The brain region connecting the cerebrum with the spinal cord, comprising the midbrain, pons, and medulla. The locus coeruleus is one of its neuromodulatory nuclei.
Stress response: The coordinated physiological and behavioral changes that help an organism respond to challenge. Stress can recruit locus-coeruleus activity and alter norepinephrine release.
Ventral tegmental area: A midbrain region containing dopamine neurons involved in motivation, reward, and learning. Its dopaminergic projections provide a useful comparison with locus-coeruleus noradrenergic projections.
Pigmented neurons: Neurons containing pigments that give nervous tissue a visible color. Melanin-related pigment makes locus-coeruleus neurons distinctive in anatomical specimens.

Linked from 9 pages