The Locus Coeruleus: Sleep, Learning, and Emotion

This chapter explores the pivotal role of the locus coeruleus in regulating attention, stress response, and memory during REM sleep. It examines how neurotransmitter dynamics, particularly in individuals with PTSD, influence emotional processing and learning, underscoring the complexities of brain functions.

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Episode notes

My guest this episode is Gina Poe, PhD, a professor in the department of integrative biology & physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). We discuss her research exploring how sleep impacts learning, memory, hormones and emotions. She discusses tools to enhance your quality of sleep, increase deep sleep, rapid eye movement sleep and growth hormone release-- a key hormone for health, immune function and vitality. Dr. Poe explains how a specific brain area, the locus coeruleus, facilitates the processing of emotions, helps relieve traumas and how to maximize locus coeruleus function. She also explains sleep’s vital role in opiate addiction recovery and how anyone can determine their optimal sleep timing and duration. This episode is rich with basic science information and zero-cost tools to enhance quality and effectiveness of sleep for sake of mental health, physical health and performance.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.