Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Single-unit and physiological analyses of brain norepinephrine function in behaving animals.

B L Jacobs1, E D Abercrombie, C A Fornal

  • 1Department of Psychology, Princeton University, NJ.

Progress in Brain Research
|January 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Stress activates brain noradrenergic neurons, enhancing sympathetic nervous system activity. This study shows norepinephrine release from these neurons directly facilitates behavioral output, like reflexes, in intact organisms.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Initial Experience with Bupivacaine-Meloxicam Extended Formulation (Zynrelef<sup>®</sup>) For Open Urologic Surgery.

Journal of pain management and therapeutic care·2025
Same author

Discharge Opioids are Unnecessary Following Radical Cystectomy.

Urology·2022
Same author

Newton and the Big Apple.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2016
Same author

Supporting academic success:.

Occupational therapy in health care·2013
Same author

Managing risk at the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol.

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis·2012
Same author

Estimating conditional probabilities of terrorist attacks: modeling adversaries with uncertain value tradeoffs.

Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis·2011

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Locus coeruleus noradrenergic neurons activate during various stressors in cats.
  • This activation correlates with sympathetic nervous system responses.
  • Previous research linked stressors to potentiation of the jaw closure reflex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the physiological significance of locus coeruleus noradrenergic neuron activation.
  • To determine if norepinephrine release facilitates behavioral output.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded single-unit activity of locus coeruleus neurons in behaving cats.
  • Exposed cats to stressors (e.g., dog, white noise, physiological challenges).
  • Utilized the monosynaptic jaw closure reflex and neurotoxin to disrupt noradrenergic pathways.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Stressors significantly increased locus coeruleus neuron activity and sympathetic response.
  • Conditions activating these neurons potentiated the jaw closure reflex.
  • Neurotoxic destruction of noradrenergic input abolished reflex potentiation.

Conclusions:

  • Demonstrates physiological conditions where norepinephrine release facilitates behavioral output.
  • Provides first evidence of site-specific, physiologically relevant behavioral facilitation by norepinephrine.
  • Highlights the role of noradrenergic system in modulating motor responses to challenges.