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CNI researchers demonstrate links between changes in pupil size and the brain’s arousal system

Many critical neural functions are mediated by structures deep within the brain that are inaccessible even with modern functional neuroimaging methods. One approach to estimating the activity of such structures is to link their activity with some non-invasive measurement. The brain’s arousal system, centered in a tiny nucleus (the locus coeruleus, LC) in the pontine brainstem, is able to modulate neural activity that underlies a wide range of behaviors. But relating LC activity to behavior has been a major challenge. Recently, the Gold Lab published a study that rigorously examined the link between changes in pupil size and activity in the LC. This study is significant because it provides the first thorough measurement of the link between changes in pupil size and activity in the arousal system.