Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is emerging as a key regulator of energy metabolism and food intake acting in the brain. As a neuropeptide, GLP-1 is released from a discrete population of neurons in the brainstem which target key nuclei involved in metabolic control and reward throughout the brain. Once released, GLP-1 binds to GLP-1 receptors (GLP-1R), however the precise expression pattern of these receptors in the mouse brain is currently unknown. Here we use a novel transgenic mouse model (GLP-1R-Cre) expressing Cre-recombinase under the control of the glp1r promoter with a ROSA26-EYFP or ROSA26-tdRFP reporter to map GLP-1R expressing cells throughout the murine brain. For immunofluorescence studies GLP-1R-Cre mice were terminally anaesthetized with 1.5g/kg urethane i.p. and transcardially perfused with 0.1M phosphate buffer followed by 4% paraformaldehyde. Brains were removed and 30μm thick coronal sections were cut from the caudal olfactory bulb to the spinomedullary junction before immunofluorescent detection of EYFP or tdRFP. Patch-clamp recordings were performed on neurons that exhibited RFP fluorescence in acute coronal brainslices (200mm) obtained from adult GLP-1R-Cre mice. EYFP or tdRFP immunoreactive (IR) cells, indicative of GLP-1R expression, were found throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the brain in areas equivalent to those reported in rat. Specifically, high numbers of EYFP-positive cells were found in the circumventricular organs, amygdala, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), arcuate nucleus (ARC), substantia nigra (SN) and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). Lower levels of expression were observed in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), thalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVT) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). These regions correlate with areas shown to receive many axons from brainstem preproglucagon (PPG) neurons. Furthermore a proportion of EYFP-IR neurons in the NTS, RVLM, PVN, DMH but not VTA or SN were found to contain tyrosine hydroxylase IR, but not parvalbumin IR. Also, glial fibrillary acidic protein IR was not co-localised with EYFP. Interestingly, EYFP-IR neurons were also found in some areas devoid of PPG-neuron projections, such as the hippocampus and cortex, raising the question whether these areas may respond to GLP-1 of non-neuronal origin. Application of 100 nM GLP-1 in whole-cell recordings from RFP fluorescent cells in BNST and PVN elicited a reversible inward current or depolarization in all cells tested, thus confirming that these cells indeed express GLP-1R. Similarly, stereotaxic injection of a flex-switch AAV unilaterally into the PVN, demonstrated that red fluorescent cells express cre-recombinase and thus produce virally mediated GFP expression. This study comprises a comprehensive description of GLP-1R expression in the mouse CNS and provides information about the phenotype of GLP-1R expressing cells. The use of Cre-recombinase in cells expressing GLP-1R provides a novel molecular handle on this cell population enabling future investigation of their physiological role in vivo.