The locus coeruleus (LC), or ‘blue spot’, is a small nucleus located deep in the brainstem that provides the far-reaching noradrenergic neurotransmitter system of the brain. This phylogenetically conserved nucleus has proved relatively intractable to full characterization, despite more than 60 years of concerted efforts by investigators. Recently, an array of powerful new neuroscience tools have provided unprecedented access to this elusive nucleus, revealing new levels of organization and function. We are currently at the threshold of major discoveries regarding how this tiny brainstem structure exerts such varied and significant influences over brain function and behaviour. All LC neurons receive inputs related to autonomic arousal, but distinct subpopulations of those neurons can encode specific cognitive processes, presumably through more specific inputs from the forebrain areas. This ability, combined with specific patterns of innervation of target areas and heterogeneity in receptor distributions, suggests that activation of the LC has more specific influences on target networks than had initially been imagined.

蓝斑 (LC) 或“蓝点”是位于脑干深处的一个小核，它提供了影响深远的大脑去甲肾上腺素能神经递质系统。尽管研究人员进行了 60 多年的共同努力，但事实证明，这种系统发育保守的核相对难以完全表征。最近，一系列强大的新神经科学工具为这个难以捉摸的细胞核提供了前所未有的途径，揭示了新的组织和功能水平。关于这种微小的脑干结构如何对大脑功能和行为产生如此多样和重大的影响，我们目前正处于重大发现的门槛。所有 LC 神经元都接收与自主神经唤醒相关的输入，但这些神经元的不同亚群可以编码特定的认知过程，大概是通过来自前脑区域的更具体的输入。这种能力，结合目标区域的特定神经支配模式和受体分布的异质性，表明 LC 的激活对目标网络的影响比最初想象的更具体。