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This small nucleus contains almost half of all the brain neurons that use norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter. The locus coeruleus also projects its axons to those parts of the brain that may be associated with panic disorders (the amygdala, hippocampus, septum, cortex, brainstem, reticular formation, etc). Stimulating an animal's locus coeruleus, like stimulating its amygdala, produces anxiety behaviours.
'Part of the reason we lack more effective and specific drugs for anxiety is that we don't know enough about how the brain processes anxiety. 'This study opens up a new line of investigation into the brain circuitry that controls anxiety.'. The team's findings in the January 30 version of the journal Cell.