A central nervous system nucleus on either side of the midline under the fourth ventricle in the pontine part of the brainstem. This small nucleus contains pigmented neurons that send noradrenergic axons unusually widely, throughout the brain, and may play a key role in broad cortical activation from the reticular formation of the brainstem.
A small cluster of norepinephrine synthesizing cell bodies residing in the dorsal brain stem region of the reticular formation that plays an important role in vigilance and arousal.
A region within the brain stem responsible for receiving and interpreting sensory signals originating from various parts of the body.