ArticleScience advances2020
Locus coeruleus norepinephrine activity mediates sensory-evoked awakenings from sleep.
Article in Science advances, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 154 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
154 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 243 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Vagus nerve stimulation paired with rehabilitation for upper limb motor function after ischaemic stroke (VNS-REHAB): a randomised, blinded, pivotal, device trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Trial
- Molecular programs in human locus coeruleus link APOE and neuromelanin to Alzheimer's vulnerability.Acta neuropathologica · 2026Article
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- Pathogenic tau in the mouse locus coeruleus produces noradrenergic hyperactivity and neuropsychiatric phenotypes reminiscent of early Alzheimer's disease.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Catecholamine modulation of frontal cortical ignition during wakefulness, sleep and anesthesia.National science review · 2026Article
- Sleep period noise induces wakefulness via the paraventricular thalamic lateral septum circuit in mice.iScience · 2026Article
- Association between sleep inertia and cognitive performance among older adults in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort study.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026Article
- Parallel cholinergic circuit in oculomotor nucleus to control eye movements and REM sleep.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The infraslow fluctuation of sigma power during sleep and its links to markers of arousal and memory reactivation across development.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Cortex-specific inversion of visual responses during sleep.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Spontaneous and stimulus-driven arousal produce distinct acetylcholine dynamics across sensory and prefrontal cortex.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Polarizer-assisted pupillometry through closed eyelids, overcoming pupil position dependence.Journal of biomedical optics · 2026Article
- Locus-Coeruleus Norepinephrine Functioning as a Predictor of Childhood Mental Health (LOCUS-MENTAL): Protocol for a Longitudinal Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Experimentally induced REM sleep fragmentation affects psychophysiological habituation to emotional stimuli.Sleep · 2026Article
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- Pupil-linked arousal heterogeneously modulates cell-type-specific sensory processing.Science advances · 2026Article
- Insomnia: the gut microbiome connection, prospects for probiotic and postbiotic therapies, and future directions.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Linking reaction time variability to physiological markers of arousal across timescales.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
94 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
13 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
A defining feature of sleep is reduced responsiveness to external stimuli, but the mechanisms mediating sensory-evoked arousal remain unclear. We hypothesized that reduced locus coeruleus (LC) norepinephrine (NE) activity during sleep mediates unresponsiveness, and its action promotes sensory-evoked awakenings. We tested this using electrophysiological, behavioral, pharmacological, and optogenetic techniques alongside auditory stimulation in freely behaving rats. We found that systemic reduction in NE signaling lowered probability of sound-evoked awakenings (SEAs). The level of tonic LC activity during sleep anticipated SEAs. Optogenetic LC activation promoted arousal as evident in sleep-wake transitions, EEG desynchronization, and pupil dilation. Minimal LC excitation before sound presentation increased SEA probability. Optogenetic LC silencing using a soma-targeted anion-conducting channelrhodopsin (stGtACR2) suppressed LC spiking and constricted pupils. Brief periods of LC opto-silencing reduced the probability of SEAs. Thus, LC-NE activity determines the likelihood of sensory-evoked awakenings, and its reduction during sleep constitutes a key factor mediating behavioral unresponsiveness.
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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.