In vivo mapping of the human locus coeruleus

The locus coeruleus (LC) is a brainstem structure that has widespread cortical and sub-cortical projections to modulate states of attention. Our understanding of the LC's role in both normal attention and clinical populations affected by disrupted attention would be advanced by having in vivo functional and structural markers of the human LC. Evidence for LC activation can be difficult to interpret because of uncertainty about whether brainstem...