By Stefan Chmelik

What is the Locus Coerulus?

There is a small, lapis lazuli blue, area in your brain stem called the locus coeruleus. You can train this little blue dot for an instant uptick in flow and calm.

‘Locus Coeruleus’ is Latin for blue dot. It was first identified by the physician and anatomist Félix Vicq-d'Azyr, who attended Marie Antoinette. This bundle is small but it is mighty, and research has shown that it is both trainable and has a major role in coordinating the mind-body. And yes, it is actually blue! Due to the melanin granules inside the pigmented cells. 

The vivid blue cells are the main producer of noradrenaline, which is basically adrenaline but produced in the brain rather than the adrenal glands. The right amount will take you from relaxed sleep to creative thinking, but too much will leave you anxious and over thinking.

With the right techniques you can influence your mental state, from how well you focus and the levels of stress you feel, to your ability to make creative leaps and think on your feet. Change Gears, if you will. (J.M. Shine, 2019)

Research suggests that people with anxiety, PTSD and ADHD, the locus coeruleus may become too easily locked into the high stress (or arousal) mode. But the good news is that you can train this response to be active at the level you want.

Neuroscience researcher, Mithu Storoni, has classified four states, or ‘gears’, that the locus coeruleus can kick into according to the type of mental work you are performing. And like gears in a car, you can change up as well as down, and train this part of the brain to log into the state you are looking for.

Storoni has codified the main Locus Coeruleus states (gears) as such:

• Gear 0 – almost silent and the brain state during sleep

• Gear 1 – a relaxed state of activity, when we can focus but the mind can wander easily

• Gear 2 – neurotransmitter bursts allow the brain to process new information more efficiently, and can lead to a ‘network reset’ leading to new ideas and flexible thinking

• Gear 3 – but when too much adrenaline is released, the threat perception response can be ramped up (which helps nobody concentrate better…)

With so many exciting findings coming in from the research, many neuroscientists now consider the ability to ‘toggle’ between low, moderate, and arousal locus coeruleus activity to be key to cognitive performance; a sweet spot between dreamy and frantic.
 

Having a proper low activity/sleep (Gear 0) brain state is associated with storage of long-term memory and profound deep rest. The famous ‘flow state’ is strongly related to the ideal amount of alertness (Gear 2) according to Dimitri van der Linden at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. (Linden, Tops, and Bakker, 2021)

What To do:

At this point you are probably wondering how you can train your locus coeruleus to toggle efficiently between these states. As with so many of the most important things to do with health and wellbeing, it comes down to improving vagal tone through nervous system training. Learning to regulate stress-hormone levels gives you the skills needed to be able to relax and focus as necessary, so you can both sleep well and be productive, on demand.

In the 2018 paper, ‘Coupling of Respiration and Attention via the Locus Coeruleus: Effects of Meditation and Pranayama’, Melnychuk, et al., describe how breathing and meditation can be used to train the nervous system response. And Stroroni says, the locus coeruleus has a direct relationship with the autonomic nervous system, of which the Vagus nerve is the largest part, and it can be strengthened through relaxation, breathing and related techniques. She also believes that technology has a big part to play here.

A device like Sensate, which works to tone the vagus nerve can help to train the nervous system to shift out of the high stress/arousal state (Gear 3) and into the gear you need. 

It is also worth noting that following the natural flow of mind-body rhythms can make things easier, creative work is best done in the morning, information rich and intense analytical work is best left to late morning as the system wakes and, boring repetitive work will tend to downshift the body-mind back into a low state.

Sensately Yours, 

Stefan  

Stefan Chmelik is co-founder of and inventor of the Sensate stress reduction system, which is based on his over three decades of clinical experience working with anxiety, stress and trauma. His mission is now the company's mission - to positively impact the lives of 100 million people by 2025. Stefan also specialises in Nervous System Training.

Articles page HERE

References:

New Scientist, (2024), ‘Take Control of Your Brain’s Master Switch to Optimize How You Think’, here.

Who discovered the Locus Coeruleus.

Locus Coeruleus colour.

James Shine of University of Sidney, Australia.  

Mithu Stironi. ‘Hyper Efficient’.

Linden, Tops, and Bakker, (2021), ‘The Neuroscience of the Flow State’, here. Video Interview here. 

Melnychuk, et al., (2018), ‘Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama’, here.

Image credit: Carlos Aizenman (Neurodoodles), ‘Locus Coeruleus 1 on Etsy, here.