Noradrenergic cell group A5 is a group of cells in the vicinity of the superior olivary complex in the pontine tegmentum that label for norepinephrine in primates,[1] rodents[2] and other mammals.
[3] The noradrenergic A5 pontine cell group receives inputs from the hypothalamus and several brainstem areas extending from the midbrain to the medulla.
Its major output is to the spinal cord.
[4][5][6] These anatomical connections suggest a role in autonomic regulation and A5 has been implicated in control of heart rate, blood pressure and respiration.
[7][8][9][10][11] It may also be involved in modulation of pain as part of the descending mesencephalic to spinal cord system.