 Norepinephrine is synthesized and released by the central nervous system , and also by a division of the autonomic nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system . In the brain , norepinephrine is produced in closely packed brain cell neurons or nuclei that are small yet exert powerful effects on other brain areas . The most important of these nuclei is the locus coeruleus , located in the pons . In the sympathetic nervous system , norepinephrine is used as a neurotransmitter by sympathetic ganglia located near the spinal cord or in the abdomen , and it is also released directly into the bloodstream by the adrenal glands as sympathetic effector organs . Regardless of how and where it is released , norepinephrine acts on target cells by binding to and activating noradrenergic receptors located on the cell surface . 
