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Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Localization of the Locus Coeruleus in the Mouse Brain
Published on: March 7, 2019
The Locus Coeruleus- Norepinephrine System in Stress and Arousal: Unraveling Historical, Current, and Future
Jennifer A Ross1, Elisabeth J Van Bockstaele1
1Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
Abstract:
Arousal may be understood on a spectrum, with excessive sleepiness, cognitive dysfunction, and inattention on one side, a wakeful state in the middle, and hypervigilance, panic, and psychosis on the other side. However, historically, the concepts of arousal and stress have been challenging to define as measurable experimental variables. Divergent efforts to study these subjects have given rise to several disciplines, including neurobiology, neuroendocrinology, and cognitive neuroscience. We discuss technological advancements that chronologically led to our current understanding of the arousal system, focusing on the multifaceted nucleus locus coeruleus. We share our contemporary perspective and the hypotheses of others in the context of our current technological capabilities and future developments that will be required to move forward in this area of research.
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