Noradrenaline is a neuromodulator that has been linked to arousal and boosting alertness, but can lead to anxiety in large amounts. Unlike neurotransmitters, which enable cell-to-cell communication, neuromodulators are released over large swathes of the brain, allowing them to exert more general effects.
Previous studies of the locus coeruleus (LC), the primary source of noradrenaline in the brain, have shown that it receives input from many parts of the brain and also sends its signals far and wide. New research set out to study noradrenaline’s role in a specific type of learning called reinforcement learning or learning by trial and error. What they found is that, when the brain needs to pay attention to something important, it sends out a burst of noradrenaline. In a study of mice, the team found that one key role of noradrenaline is to help the brain learn from surprising outcomes… Continue reading.