Topic: ultrasonic pup vocalizations

The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small brainstem nucleus that provides the forebrain with the primary source of noradrenaline (NA), a neuromodulator important for a range of core behavioral and physiological functions (Aston-Jones & Cohen, 2005; Martins & Froemke, 2015; Poe et al., 2020). While early theories described the LC as a homogeneous structure whose neurons release NA uniformly to broadly coordinate brain states, recent studies have begun to reveal that complex behavioral contexts can lead to engagement of specific subpopulations of LC neurons depending on their inputs, outputs,