Locus coeruleus

Recent articles

Three sleeping mice.

Fleeting sleep interruptions may help brain reset

Brief, seconds-long microarousals during deep sleep “ride on the wave” of locus coeruleus activity in mice and correlate with periods of waste clearing and memory consolidation, new research suggests.

By Shaena Montanari
13 January 2025 | 5 min read
Micrograph comparing locus coeruleus of 16p11.2 mutant mice and control mice show less active noradrenergic neurons in mutant mice.

Circuit flaw underlies motor learning issues in autism mouse model

Mice missing a copy of chromosomal region 16p11.2 are slow to learn motor tasks and have dysfunction in a brain circuit associated with stress and movement, according to a new study. Normalizing this circuit's activity corrects the learning deficit.

By Peter Hess
12 April 2021 | 4 min read

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Close-up of high-resolution fMRI images.

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Recent technological advances provide a range of new and different information about brain physiology. But taking full advantage of these gains depends on collaboration between engineers and neuroscientists.

By Laura Lewis
14 April 2025 | 6 min read
People help each other climb up a supersized human brain.

As federal funders desert mentorship programs for marginalized students, trainee-led initiatives fill the gap

Grassroots organizations, led by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, are stepping up to provide neuroscience career training and guidance for students from marginalized backgrounds—and they need your support.

By Christian Cazares, Maribel Patiño
11 April 2025 | 5 min read
Research image of two mouse brain slices.

Split gene therapy delivers promise in mice modeling Dravet syndrome

The new approach overcomes viral packaging limitations by delivering SCN1A piecemeal and stitching it together in target cells.

By Holly Barker
10 April 2025 | 5 min read