locus ceruleus

The locus ceruleus is a dense cluster of neurons within the dorsorostral pons. This nucleus is the major location of neurons that release norepinephrine throughout the brain, and is responsible for physiological responses to stress and panic[GO]. Bluish region in the superior angle of the fourth ventricle floor, corresponding to melanin-like pigmented nerve cells which lie lateral to the ponto-mesencephalic central gray (griseum centrale). It is also known as nucleus pigmentosus pontis[GAID]. Every claim on this page comes from the Leumas anatomy graph and carries its source.

What the locus ceruleus is

The locus ceruleus is a dense cluster of neurons within the dorsorostral pons. This nucleus is the major location of neurons that release norepinephrine throughout the brain, and is responsible for physiological responses to stress and panic[GO]. Bluish region in the superior angle of the fourth ventricle floor, corresponding to melanin-like pigmented nerve cells which lie lateral to the ponto-mesencephalic central gray (griseum centrale). It is also known as nucleus pigmentosus pontis[GAID]. The atlas records it as a nerve at the organ scale in the human body.

Where the locus ceruleus is

It sits within the nervous system. Not positioned individually. Drawn inside the structure this dataset says contains it — the containment is asserted, the exact spot within it is not.

What the locus ceruleus connects to

The atlas records 5 typed relationships for it, across 2 kinds of connection. part of brainstem, hindbrain and pontine tegmentum.

Supply and innervation

This dataset asserts no arterial supply, venous drainage or innervation for the locus ceruleus. Only a minority of structures carry those edges here, so an empty answer means nothing has been recorded — not that there is nothing to record.

Also called

Also recorded as Noradrenergic cell group A6, blue nucleus, caerulean nucleus, locus caeruleus, locus coeruleu and locus coeruleus, and 8 more. Searching any of those names reaches this page.

Source

Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (Mungall et al.), CC BY 4.0. Term UBERON:0002148, version 2026-06-19, retrieved 2026-08-24. Licence: CC-BY-4.0.

Questions

Where is the locus ceruleus?

It sits within the nervous system. Not positioned individually. Drawn inside the structure this dataset says contains it — the containment is asserted, the exact spot within it is not.

What does the locus ceruleus connect to?

Part of: brainstem, hindbrain and pontine tegmentum.

Is the locus ceruleus the same in other species?

Leumas holds the same relationship vocabulary for every species it carries, so where another dataset records this structure you can put the two side by side on /compare.