Layer- and area-specificity of the adrenergic modulation of synaptic transmission in the rat neocortex.

The mammalian neocortex is a multilayered structure receiving extensive adrenergic projections both in rostral and caudal areas. The cellular mechanisms of norepinephrine (NE) in the neocortex are incompletely understood. We used electrophysiology to determine whether NE modulation of synaptic transmission were similar in rostral versus caudal cortical areas, and in infra- versus supra-granular cortical layers.