Research progress on the role of the locus coeruleus in cognitive function

The locus coeruleus (LC) is the primary source of noradrenergic (NE) neurons in the central nervous system, with extensive neural projections throughout the brain, serving as a key ascending modulatory center for regulating cognitive functions. In recent years, the advances in optogenetics, chemogenetics, and high-resolution neuroimaging techniques-including neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) and diffusion MRI-have further elucidated the role of the LC in cognitive function regulation. Through the core mechanisms of dynamic tonic-phasic firing mode switching, coordinated co-release of noradrenaline and dopamine (DA), and large-scale brain network reconfiguration, the LC achieves cross-level integrative regulation of fundamental cognitive processes, including learning and memory, vigilance, attention, decision-making, and executive function, with learning and memory processes spanning all levels and providing experiential support for each of these operations. Moreover, the LC is an early vulnerable node for pathological damage in the brain; its structural and functional abnormalities can lead to imbalances in neuromodulator tone, inflammatory-phagocytic imbalance, and disruptions in synaptic plasticity and neurovascular-energy metabolism, thereby driving the onset and progression of pathological cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This article systematically reviews the neurophysiological basis of the LC and its hierarchical regulatory mechanisms over normal cognitive functions, and proposes a unified four-pathway framework through which LC dysfunction gives rise to cognitive impairment across diagnostic boundaries, aiming to deepen the understanding of cognitive neuromodulation theory and provide a theoretical foundation for the early identification and targeted intervention of cognitive disorders.