 Noradrenergic neurons ( i.e. , neurons whose primary neurotransmitter is norepinephrine ) are comparatively few in number , and their cell bodies are confined to a few relatively small brain areas , but they send projections to many other brain areas and exert powerful effects on their targets . These noradrenergic cell groups were first mapped in 1964 by <unk> Dahlström and Kjell <unk> , who assigned them labels starting with the letter " A " ( for " aminergic " ) . In their scheme , areas A1 through A7 contain the neurotransmitter norepinephrine ( A8 through A14 contain dopamine ) . Noradrenergic cell group A1 is located in the caudal <unk> part of the medulla , and plays a role in the control of body fluid metabolism . Noradrenergic cell group A2 is located in a brainstem area called the solitary nucleus ; these cells have been implicated in a variety of responses , including control of food intake and responses to stress . Cell groups A5 and A7 project mainly to the spinal cord . 
