Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the absence of muscle paralysis that normally occurs during the REM phase of sleep. This absence allows individuals to physically act out their dreams, which are often vivid and disturbing. Common behaviors exhibited during episodes include kicking, punching, and yelling. These actions can be dangerous, potentially leading to injuries for the person with RBD or their bed partner.
RBD is significantly associated with...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Author Correction: Cerebellar aging is spatially heterogeneous and supports cognitive resilience in later life.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

Optimized detection of caspase-6 activation in a murine inflammation model to inform neurodegenerative disease therapies.

PloS one·2026

Same author

Cerebellar aging is spatially heterogeneous and supports cognitive resilience in later life.

Nature neuroscience·2026

Same author

Brain-Selective Estrogen Therapy in Male and Female Marmosets Partially Counteracts the Adverse Effects of Aromatase Inhibition on the Brain and Behavior.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026

Same author

Diurnal rhythms of choice: a novel state-dependent drift diffusion model uncovers time-dependent changes in rat decision making.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Regulation of the decision threshold by the locus coeruleus.

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Published on: November 26, 2019

Increased locus coeruleus tonic activity causes disengagement from a patch-foraging task.

Gary A Kane¹, Elena M Vazey², Robert C Wilson³

¹Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA.

Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience

|September 14, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Stimulating locus coeruleus (LC) activity impairs task performance but increases the tendency to switch tasks, supporting the adaptive gain theory (AGT). This suggests high LC activity promotes seeking new opportunities by increasing decision noise.

Keywords:

Decision-making Foraging Locus coeruleus Norepinephrine

More Related Videos

Localization of the Locus Coeruleus in the Mouse Brain

Localization of the Locus Coeruleus in the Mouse Brain

Published on: March 7, 2019

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice

Published on: September 22, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Assessing Pupil-linked Changes in Locus Coeruleus-mediated Arousal Elicited by Trigeminal Stimulation

Published on: November 26, 2019

Localization of the Locus Coeruleus in the Mouse Brain

Localization of the Locus Coeruleus in the Mouse Brain

Published on: March 7, 2019

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice

A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice

Published on: September 22, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Neuroscience

Background:

High locus coeruleus (LC) tonic activity correlates with distraction and reduced task performance.
Adaptive gain theory (AGT) posits that LC activity shifts focus towards seeking better opportunities when current rewards are low.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if stimulating LC tonic activity promotes searching for better opportunities in a patch-foraging task.
To test AGT's hypothesis regarding LC's role in flexible task switching.

Main Methods:

Rats performed a patch-foraging task involving decisions to exploit or switch patches.
Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) were used to stimulate LC tonic activity.
Behavioral metrics including task participation, response times, omission rates, and patch departure decisions were analyzed.

Main Results:

Stimulating LC tonic activity impaired overall task performance, decreasing participation and increasing response times and omissions.
A significant tendency to leave patches earlier was observed, primarily explained by increased decision noise rather than a bias towards higher patch values.
This aligns with AGT's prediction that heightened LC activity enhances disengagement and pursuit of alternatives.

Conclusions:

Direct causal evidence supports the link between LC tonic activity and flexible task switching, as proposed by AGT.
Increased processing noise, rather than a simple bias, appears to mediate the effect of high LC tonic activity on disengagement.
LC tonic activity plays a crucial role in adaptive behavioral flexibility, particularly in switching between options.