Role of the locus coeruleus in the emergence of power law wake bouts in a model of the brainstem sleep-wake system through early infancy.

•Random switching between sleep and wake populations yields exponential bouts (P2–P10).•The locus coeruleus (LC) causes wake bouts to change to power law (P10–P21).•A model is proposed for the effect of the locus coeruleus on sleep/wake populations.•The model includes the changing oscillatory properties of the LC in early infancy.•The model shows that LC to wake pop feedback can transform wake bouts to power law.