The electrical activity of 99 neurons located in the locus coeruleus-complex, namely in the dorsal (n = 26) and the ventral part of the locus coeruleus (n = 46) as well as the locus subcoeruleus (n = 27), has been recorded in precollicular decerebrate cats during sinusoidal displacement of the neck. This was achieved by rotation of the body about the longitudinal axis of the animal, while maintaining the head stationary. A proportion of these neurons showed some of the main physiological characteristics attributed to the noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons, i.e. (i) a slow and regular resting discharge, and (ii) a typical biphasic response to fore and hindpaw compression consisting of short bursts of impulses followed by a period of quiescence, due at least in part to recurrent or lateral inhibition of the corresponding neurons. Moreover, 14 out of the 99 neurons were activated antidromically by stimulation of the spinal cord at T12 and L1, thus being considered as coeruleo- or subcoeruleospinal neurons. Among these locus coeruleus-complex neurons tested, 73 out of 99 (i.e. 73.7%) responded to neck rotation at the standard frequency of 0.15 Hz and at the peak amplitude of displacement of 10 degrees. In particular 40 of 73 units (i.e. 54.8%) were excited during side-down neck rotation and depressed during side-up rotation, while 18 of 73 units (i.e. 24.7%) showed the opposite pattern. In both instances the peak of the responses occurred with an average phase lead of +34.2 degrees for the extreme side-down or side-up neck displacement; however, the response gain (impulses/s per deg) was on the average more than two-fold higher in the former than in the latter group of units. The remaining 15 units (i.e. 20.5%) showed phase angle values which were intermediate between those of the two main populations. As to the coeruleo or subcoeruleospinal neurons, 11 of 14 units (78.6%) responded to the neck input, the majority (nine of 11 units, i.e. 81.8%) being excited during side-down neck rotation. Within the explored region, the proportion of responsive units was higher in the locus subcoeruleus (85.2%) than in the locus coeruleus, both dorsal and ventral (69.4%). Moreover, units located in the former structure showed on the average a response gain higher than that found in the latter structures. Similar results were also obtained from the population of locus subcoeruleus-complex neurons which fired at a low rate (less than or equal to 5.0 impulses/s).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)