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locus coeruleus

·February 16, 2016·3 min read

‘Ground Zero’ Brain Region for Alzheimer’s Highlighted

A new study reports the locus coeruleus, an area of the brain essential for maintaining cognitive function, is vulnerable to toxins and infections. This brain area appears to be the first place affected by late onset Alzheimer's.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·August 12, 2019·5 min read

Alzheimer’s disease destroys neurons that keep us awake

Tau accumulations disrupt wake-promoting neurons. The findings help explain why day-time napping and sleep disruptions are often reported in Alzheimer's patients.

Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·5 min read

Blue Brain Marker Peaks in Midlife, May Predict Cognitive Aging

Researchers have mapped age-related changes in the brain’s locus coeruleus (LC), a region linked to cognition and Alzheimer’s risk, by tracking neuromelanin, a pigment that gives it its signature blue hue. In a diverse group of participants aged 19 to 86, they found an inverted U-shaped pattern: LC signal peaked in late middle age, then declined.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 22, 2018·4 min read

Brain Structure Linked with Sex Based Differences in Anxiety Behavior: Mouse Study

A new mouse study reveals females have a three fold higher abundance of EP3, in addition to elevated levels of genes associated with major depressive disorder in the locus coeruleus.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 8, 2026·8 min read

Brain Switch for Action and Stress Identified

By mapping the interaction between the locus coeruleus and the anterior cingulate cortex, researchers found a mechanism that regulates the intensity of the body’s fight-or-flight responses. This discovery offers a transformative roadmap for treating Parkinson’s mobility issues and modulating stress-induced cravings in alcohol use disorder.

Featured Neuroscience

·September 22, 2023·4 min read

Brain’s Blue Spot, Locus Coeruleus, Is A Key Player in Sleep Quality and Memory

Researchers have shed light on the vital role of the locus coeruleus in regulating REM sleep and its effects on cognitive processes. Located deep in the brain, this nucleus manages noradrenaline, influencing memory, emotions, and sleep initiation.

This shows a connectome brain map of neurons in the LC, image caption "How the Brain’s Norepinephrine Hub Drives Learning."

Featured Neuroscience

·September 18, 2026·6 min read

Brain’s “Blue Place” Rewrites How Norepinephrine Drives Learning

A new study maps the locus coeruleus, showing it routes targeted norepinephrine signals for learning and contains the longest recorded mouse axon.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2025·5 min read

Brain’s Arousal Regulator Found

A new study reveals that a small cluster of cells near the brain's "blue spot"—the locus coeruleus—helps regulate arousal, attention, and stress responses. These peri-LC neurons modulate the locus coeruleus by releasing GABA, which reduces its activity and dampens the release of norepinephrine.

This shows a brain and a person sleeping.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 25, 2024·6 min read

Brain’s Locus Coeruleus Revealed as Key to Sleep Transitions

A new study uncovers the role of the brain's locus coeruleus (LC) in regulating sleep cycles, managing transitions between NREM and REM sleep. This brainstem region alternates between activity peaks and troughs during sleep, acting like a clock to control sleep-state shifts.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 2, 2024·6 min read

Brainstem Plays Vital Role in Visual Attention

Researchers highlights the locus coeruleus (LC), a small brainstem region, as critical in enhancing visual sensory processing through its production of norepinephrine. In the study scientists used optogenetics to activate these specific neurons in non-human primates, significantly improving their performance in a visual attention task.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 31, 2020·3 min read

Brainstem Protein Mediates Exercise-Based Stress Relief

Exercise increases levels of galanin in the brain stem, making mice more resilient to stress.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·April 6, 2020·3 min read

Changes in brain attention may underlie autism

Those on the autism spectrum had atypically smaller pupil dilation compared to the control group during distracting conditions while taking a push-button test. The findings suggest those with ASD may have dysregulation in locus coeruleus activity. The dysregulation of the LC may explain the exaggerated responses to environmental stimuli and fixated behaviors many with ASD experience.

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locus coeruleus

‘Ground Zero’ Brain Region for Alzheimer’s Highlighted

Alzheimer’s disease destroys neurons that keep us awake

Blue Brain Marker Peaks in Midlife, May Predict Cognitive Aging

Brain Structure Linked with Sex Based Differences in Anxiety Behavior: Mouse Study

Brain Switch for Action and Stress Identified

Brain’s Blue Spot, Locus Coeruleus, Is A Key Player in Sleep Quality and Memory

Brain’s “Blue Place” Rewrites How Norepinephrine Drives Learning

Brain’s Arousal Regulator Found

Brain’s Locus Coeruleus Revealed as Key to Sleep Transitions

Brainstem Plays Vital Role in Visual Attention

Brainstem Protein Mediates Exercise-Based Stress Relief

Changes in brain attention may underlie autism

PCOS/PMOS Increases Alzheimer’s Risk

Alcohol Tricks Brain Cells Into Destroying Themselves

Daytime Napping Linked to Higher Risk of Dementia

Prenatal Stress Alters the Placenta to Shape Fetal Brain Development

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