Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2020, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (6): 1006-1013.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.270297

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Locus coeruleus-norepinephrine: basic functions and insights into Parkinson’s disease

Bilal Abdul Bari1, Varun Chokshi1, Katharina Schmidt2   

  1. 1 The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
    2 Department of Physiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
  • Online:2020-06-15 Published:2020-07-01
  • Contact: Bilal Abdul Bari, PhD,bbari1@jhmi.edu; Varun Chokshi, PhD,vchoksh1@jhu.edu; Katharina Schmidt, PhD,katharina.schmidt@hopkinsbio.org.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health grant F30MH110084 (to BAB).

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Abstract: The locus coeruleus is a pontine nucleus that produces much of the brain’s norepinephrine. Despite its small size, the locus coeruleus is critical for a myriad of functions and is involved in many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we discuss the physiology and anatomy of the locus coeruleus system and focus on norepinephrine’s role in synaptic plasticity. We highlight Parkinson’s disease as a disorder with motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms that may be understood as aberrations in the normal functions of locus coeruleus.

Key words: catecholamines, copper, neurodegenerative diseases, neuromodulation, neuronal circuits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, noradrenaline, synaptic plasticity