MRI‐assessed locus coeruleus integrity is heritable and associated with multiple cognitive domains, mild cognitive impairment, and daytime dysfunction

Introduction The locus coeruleus (LC) undergoes extensive neurodegeneration in early Alzheimer's disease (AD). The LC is implicated in regulating the sleep–wake cycle, modulating cognitive function, and AD progression. Methods Participants were 481 men (ages 62 to 71.7) from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. LC structural integrity was indexed by neuromelanin‐sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast‐to‐noise ratio (LC CNR ). We...