The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small nucleus in the brainstem whose function is integral to regulating cognitive arousal. Despite the LC’s importance in cognitive processing, localizing it in functional space is challenging. Here, we propose a method that uses both an atlas and subjects’ neuromelanin-sensitive MRI images to estimate LC BOLD activity. We show that the LC BOLD extracted with our method is more strongly correlated with trial-to-trial variability in baseline pupil diameter than comparable approaches, an important metric since non-luminance changes in pupil diameter have been shown to covary with LC electrophysiological recordings in non-human primates.
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