Table 1.  Neurobiological clues to LC function

 Property 

*  Widely ramifying projections

*  Diffuse innervation of cortex

*  Laminar complementarity

*  Regional selectivity of innervation

*  Restricted nature of LC afferents

*  Monotonic relationship between unit firing and arousal stages

*  Phasic responses to novel/intense stimuli

*  Neurochemical evidence of increased NE turnover in stress

*  Enhanced signal-to-noise-ratios in terminal regions

*  ‘Top-down’ frontal cortical control over locus coeruleus activity

See Ref.; also see Chapters by Foote & Aston-Jones and Valentino & Aston-Jones
in this volume.

Back to Chapter

published 2000