Brain structures and receptors involved in alertness

We hypothesize that the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) modulates the circadian rhythm of sleep and waking via projections to the LC. We propose a SCN-DMH-LC signalling pathway that may influence the activity of the LC and thereby a variety of central nervous system functions related to noradrenergic innervations, including alertness, vigilance, attention, learning and memory. The influence of sleep drive on the LC system may be important for our understanding of the deleterious effects of sleep loss on performance, and presents a logical target for developing new treatments to counteract impairments in alertness and performance due to poor quality sleep.