UCLA, Integrative Biology and Physiology, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
5312 Hampden Lane, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2020 Nov;21(11):644-659. doi: 10.1038/s41583-020-0360-9. Epub 2020 Sep 17.
The locus coeruleus (LC), or 'blue spot', is a small nucleus located deep in the brainstem that provides the far-reaching noradrenergic neurotransmitter system of the brain. This phylogenetically conserved nucleus has proved relatively intractable to full characterization, despite more than 60 years of concerted efforts by investigators. Recently, an array of powerful new neuroscience tools have provided unprecedented access to this elusive nucleus, revealing new levels of organization and function. We are currently at the threshold of major discoveries regarding how this tiny brainstem structure exerts such varied and significant influences over brain function and behaviour. All LC neurons receive inputs related to autonomic arousal, but distinct subpopulations of those neurons can encode specific cognitive processes, presumably through more specific inputs from the forebrain areas. This ability, combined with specific patterns of innervation of target areas and heterogeneity in receptor distributions, suggests that activation of the LC has more specific influences on target networks than had initially been imagined.
蓝斑（LC），也被称为“蓝点”，是位于脑干深部的一个小核团，为大脑提供广泛的去甲肾上腺素能神经递质系统。尽管研究人员已经进行了 60 多年的协同努力，但这个在进化上保守的核团仍然难以全面描述。最近，一系列强大的新神经科学工具为研究这个难以捉摸的核团提供了前所未有的机会，揭示了新的组织和功能层次。我们正处于重大发现的门槛上，这些发现涉及这个小脑干结构如何对大脑功能和行为产生如此多样和显著的影响。所有 LC 神经元都接收与自主唤醒相关的输入，但那些神经元的不同亚群可以通过来自大脑前区域的更特定输入来编码特定的认知过程。这种能力，加上对目标区域的特定神经支配模式和受体分布的异质性，表明 LC 的激活对目标网络的影响比最初想象的更为具体。
