ReviewBrain research2016
Differential cognitive actions of norepinephrine a2 and a1 receptor signaling in the prefrontal cortex.
Review in Brain research, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 74 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 110 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- The behavioural effects of the serotonin 1A receptor agonist buspirone on cognition and emotional processing in healthy volunteers.Psychopharmacology · 2025Trial
- Methylphenidate undermines or enhances divergent creativity depending on baseline dopamine synthesis capacity.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023Trial
- Brain activation and subjective anxiety during an anticipatory anxiety task is related to clinical outcome during prazosin treatment for alcohol use disorder.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2020Trial
- Effects of clonidine on MMN and P3a amplitude in schizophrenia patients on stable medication.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2019Trial
- A preliminary investigation into the effects of doxazosin on cognitive functioning in tobacco-deprived and -satiated smokers.Human psychopharmacology · 2018Trial
- Neuroinflammation and noradrenergic modulation with β2-adrenoceptors: Emerging therapeutic targets for Parkinson's diseases.Neural regeneration research · 2026Article
- Review
- Reinventing amlodipine.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2026Review
- Pupil-linked arousal heterogeneously modulates cell-type-specific sensory processing.Science advances · 2026Article
- The Effect of Stress on Working Memory in Persons with Parkinson's Disease.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Wake-promoting neuromodulators in Alzheimer's disease: Implications for sleep and brain clearance.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Review
- The Contribution of the Locus Ceruleus-Norepinephrine System to the Coupling between Pupil-Linked Arousal and Cortical State.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026Article
- Post-mortem brain analysis reveals altered monoaminergic system in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in chronic schizophrenia.Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Research progress on the role of the locus coeruleus in cognitive function.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Review
- Plant-derived nutritional components in thyroid disease-related neuropsychiatric disorders: mechanistic insights and advances.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Methylphenidate stabilizes dynamic brain network organization during tasks probing attention and reward processing in stimulant-naïve children with ADHD.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Low affinity noradrenergic signaling promotes passive coping during reinforcement behavior.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Functional and Regional Specificity of Noradrenergic Signaling for Encoding and Retrieval of Associative Recognition Memory in the Rat.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025Article
- Selective Noradrenergic Activation of BDNF Translation by Mirtazapine.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) supports cognitive and behavioral processes that guide goal directed behavior. Moreover, dysregulated prefrontal cognitive dysfunction is associated with multiple psychiatric disorders. Norepinephrine (NE) signaling in the PFC is a critical modulator of prefrontal cognition and is targeted by a variety of drugs used to treat PFC-dependent cognitive dysfunction. Noradrenergic modulation of PFC-dependent cognition is complex, with concentration and receptor-specific actions that are likely dependent on neuronal activity state. Recent studies indicate that within the PFC, noradrenergic α1 and α2 receptors exert unique modulatory actions across distinct cognitive processes that allow for context-dependent modulation of cognition. Specifically, high affinity post-synaptic α2 receptors, engaged at moderate rates of NE release associated with moderate arousal levels, promote working memory. In contrast, lower affinity α1 receptors, engaged at higher rates of release associated with high arousal conditions (e.g. stress), impair working memory performance while promoting flexible attention. While these and other observations were initially interpreted to indicate high rates of NE release promotes the transition from focused to flexible/scanning attention, recent findings indicate that α1 receptors promote both focused and flexible attention. Collectively, these observations indicate that while α2 and α1 receptors in the PFC differentially modulate distinct cognitive processes, this cannot be simply ascribed to differential roles of these receptors in 'focused' vs. 'flexible' cognitive processes. Translationally, this information indicates that: (1) not all tests of prefrontal cognitive function may be appropriate for preclinical programs aimed at specific PFC-dependent disorders and (2) the treatment of specific PFC cognitive deficits may require the differential targeting of noradrenergic receptor subtypes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Noradrenergic System.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.