Emotional Memory in the Human Brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Faul ◽  
Kevin S. LaBar
Keyword(s):  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Memory Modification ◽  
Better Than

Across a lifetime, people tend to remember some experiences better than others, and often these biases in memory are fueled by the emotions felt when initially encoding an event. The neuroscientific study of emotional memory has advanced considerably since researchers first detailed a critical role for the amygdala in enhancing memory consolidation for arousing experiences. It is now known that the influence of emotion on memory is both a more selective and multifaceted process than initially thought. Consequently, the neural mechanisms that govern emotional memory involve an expansive set of distributed connections between the amygdala and other medial temporal lobe structures, along with prefrontal and sensory regions, that interact with noradrenergic, dopaminergic, and glucocorticoid neuromodulatory systems to both enhance and impair items in memory. Recent neurocognitive models have detailed specific mechanisms to explain how and why the influence of emotion on memory is so varied, including arousal-based accounts for the selective consolidation of information based on stimulus priority, as well as top-down cognitive factors that moderate these effects. Still other lines of research consider the time-dependent influence of stress on memory, valence-based differences in neural recapitulation at retrieval, and the mechanisms of emotional memory modification over time. While appreciating these many known ways in which emotions influence different stages of memory processing, here we also identify gaps in the literature and present future directions to improve a neurobiological understanding of emotional memory processes.

The von Restorff Effect in Amnesia: The Contribution of the Hippocampal System to Novelty-Related Memory Enhancements

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. Kishiyama ◽  
A. P. Yonelinas ◽  
M. M. Lazzara
Keyword(s):  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Hippocampal Damage ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobes ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Temporal Lobes ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Thalamic Lesions ◽  
Better Than

The ability to detect novelty is a characteristic of all mammalian nervous systems (Sokolov, 1963), and it plays a critical role in memory in the sense that items that are novel, or distinctive, are remembered better than those that are less distinct (von Restorff, 1933). Although several brain areas are sensitive to stimulus novelty, it is not yet known which regions play a role in producing novelty-related effects on memory. In the current study, we investigated novelty effects on recognition memory in amnesic patients and healthy control subjects. The control subjects demonstrated better recognition for items that were novel (i.e., presented in an infrequent color), and this effect was found for both recollection and familiarity-based responses. However, the novelty advantage was effectively eliminated in patients with extensive medial temporal lobe damage, mild hypoxic patients expected to have relatively selective hippocampal damage, and in a patient with thalamic lesions. The results indicate that the human medial temporal lobes play a critical role in producing normal novelty effects in memory.

Dissociable Medial Temporal Lobe Contributions to Social Memory

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 1253-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah H. Somerville ◽  
Gagan S. Wig ◽  
Paul J. Whalen ◽  
William M. Kelley
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Emotional Content ◽  
Amygdala Activity ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

Medial temporal lobe structures such as the hippocampus have been shown to play a critical role in mnemonic processes, with additional recruitment of the amygdala when memories contain emotional content. Thus far, studies that have examined the relationship between amygdala activity and memory have typically relied on emotional content of the kind that is rarely encountered in day-to-day interactions. The present event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigates whether amygdala activity supports emotional memory during the more subtle social interactions that punctuate everyday life. Across four training sessions, subjects learned common first names for unfamiliar faces in the presence or absence of additional contextual information that was positive, negative, and neutral in valence (e.g., “Emily helps the homeless,” “Bob is a deadbeat dad,” “Eric likes carrots”). During scanning, subjects performed a yes/no recognition memory test on studied and novel faces. Results revealed a functional dissociation within the medial temporal lobe. Whereas a region within the right hippocampus responded strongly to all faces that had been paired with a description, regardless of its valence, activity in the right amygdala was uniquely sensitive to faces that had been previously associated with emotional descriptions (negative and positive > neutral). This pattern of activity in the amygdala was preserved even when the emotional contexts associated with faces could not be explicitly retrieved, suggesting a role for the amygdala in providing a nonspecific arousal indicator in response to viewing individuals with emotionally colored pasts.

scholarly journals Distinct medial-temporal lobe mechanisms of encoding and amygdala-mediated memory reinstatement for disgust and fear

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Riegel ◽  
Małgorzata Wierzba ◽  
Marek Wypych ◽  
Maureen Ritchey ◽  
Katarzyna Jednoróg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Perirhinal Cortex ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Emotion And Memory ◽  
Mechanisms Of Memory ◽  
With Memory ◽  
Better Than

AbstractRemembering events that evoke emotions such as disgust or fear is critical to our survival. However, previous studies investigating the interplay between emotion and memory disregarded the effects of specific emotions, leading to inconsistent results. Also, the role of amygdala throughout memory stages has been poorly understood. Here, we show that after 3 weeks delay, word pairs evoking disgust were remembered better than pairs evoking fear. These two emotions distinctly modulated neural mechanisms of memory. Successful encoding of disgust-evoking information was mediated by univariate activation in amygdala and perirhinal cortex, in contrast to fear-evoking memories that engaged hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. Critically, univariate activation in the amygdala during encoding was correlated with memory reinstatement of individual word pairs, and more so for disgust than for fear. Together, these findings shed a new light on the role of the amygdala and medial temporal lobe regions in encoding and reinstatement of specific emotional memories.

scholarly journals Sounding It Out: Auditory Stimulation and Overnight Memory Processing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus O. Harrington ◽  
Scott A. Cairney
Keyword(s):  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Auditory Stimulation ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Neural Oscillations ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Memory Processing ◽  
Eeg Recordings

Abstract Purpose of Review Auditory stimulation is a technique that can enhance neural oscillations linked to overnight memory consolidation. In this review, we evaluate the impacts of auditory stimulation on the neural oscillations of sleep and associated memory processes in a variety of populations. Recent Findings Cortical EEG recordings of slow-wave sleep (SWS) are characterised by two cardinal oscillations: slow oscillations (SOs) and sleep spindles. Auditory stimulation delivered in SWS enhances SOs and phase-coupled spindle activity in healthy children and adults, children with ADHD, adults with mild cognitive impairment and patients with major depression. Under certain conditions, auditory stimulation bolsters the benefits of SWS for memory consolidation, although further work is required to fully understand the factors affecting stimulation-related memory gains. Recent work has turned to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, demonstrating that auditory stimulation can be used to manipulate REM sleep theta oscillations. Summary Auditory stimulation enhances oscillations linked to overnight memory processing and shows promise as a technique for enhancing the memory benefits of sleep.

scholarly journals Small Molecule Inhibitors of Influenza Virus Entry

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 587
Author(s):  
Zhaoyu Chen ◽  
Qinghua Cui ◽  
Michael Caffrey ◽  
Lijun Rong ◽  
Ruikun Du
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Membrane Fusion ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Small Molecule Inhibitors ◽  
Virus Entry ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Past

Hemagglutinin (HA) plays a critical role during influenza virus receptor binding and subsequent membrane fusion process, thus HA has become a promising drug target. For the past several decades, we and other researchers have discovered a series of HA inhibitors mainly targeting its fusion machinery. In this review, we summarize the advances in HA-targeted development of small molecule inhibitors. Moreover, we discuss the structural basis and mode of action of these inhibitors, and speculate upon future directions toward more potent inhibitors of membrane fusion and potential anti-influenza drugs.

scholarly journals Antagonism between brain regions relevant for cognitive control and emotional memory facilitates the generation of humorous ideas

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Bitsch ◽  
Philipp Berger ◽  
Andreas Fink ◽  
Arne Nagels ◽  
Benjamin Straube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Successful Resolution ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe ability to generate humor gives rise to positive emotions and thus facilitate the successful resolution of adversity. Although there is consensus that inhibitory processes might be related to broaden the way of thinking, the neural underpinnings of these mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a humorous alternative uses task and a stroop task, to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of humorous ideas in 24 subjects. Neuroimaging results indicate that greater cognitive control abilities are associated with increased activation in the amygdala, the hippocampus and the superior and medial frontal gyrus during the generation of humorous ideas. Examining the neural mechanisms more closely shows that the hypoactivation of frontal brain regions is associated with an hyperactivation in the amygdala and vice versa. This antagonistic connectivity is concurrently linked with an increased number of humorous ideas and enhanced amygdala responses during the task. Our data therefore suggests that a neural antagonism previously related to the emergence and regulation of negative affective responses, is linked with the generation of emotionally positive ideas and may represent an important neural pathway supporting mental health.

scholarly journals Causal role for sleep-dependent reactivation of learning-activated sensory ensembles for fear memory consolidation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany C. Clawson ◽  
Emily J. Pickup ◽  
Amy Ensing ◽  
Laura Geneseo ◽  
James Shaver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Visual Presentation ◽  
Fear Memory ◽  
Memory Recall ◽  
Visual Cue ◽  
V1 Neurons ◽  
Targeted Recombination

AbstractLearning-activated engram neurons play a critical role in memory recall. An untested hypothesis is that these same neurons play an instructive role in offline memory consolidation. Here we show that a visually-cued fear memory is consolidated during post-conditioning sleep in mice. We then use TRAP (targeted recombination in active populations) to genetically label or optogenetically manipulate primary visual cortex (V1) neurons responsive to the visual cue. Following fear conditioning, mice respond to activation of this visual engram population in a manner similar to visual presentation of fear cues. Cue-responsive neurons are selectively reactivated in V1 during post-conditioning sleep. Mimicking visual engram reactivation optogenetically leads to increased representation of the visual cue in V1. Optogenetic inhibition of the engram population during post-conditioning sleep disrupts consolidation of fear memory. We conclude that selective sleep-associated reactivation of learning-activated sensory populations serves as a necessary instructive mechanism for memory consolidation.

Pharmacologically Increasing Sleep Spindles Enhances Recognition for Negative and High-arousal Memories

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1597-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. Kaestner ◽  
John T. Wixted ◽  
Sara C. Mednick
Keyword(s):  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Sleep Spindles ◽  
Sleep Spindle ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Valence And Arousal

Sleep affects declarative memory for emotional stimuli differently than it affects declarative memory for nonemotional stimuli. However, the interaction between specific sleep characteristics and emotional memory is not well understood. Recent studies on how sleep affects emotional memory have focused on rapid eye movement sleep (REM) but have not addressed non-REM sleep, particularly sleep spindles. This is despite the fact that sleep spindles are implicated in declarative memory as well as neural models of memory consolidation (e.g., hippocampal neural replay). Additionally, many studies examine a limited range of emotional stimuli and fail to disentangle differences in memory performance because of variance in valence and arousal. Here, we experimentally increase non-REM sleep features, sleep spindle density, and SWS, with pharmacological interventions using zolpidem (Ambien) and sodium oxybate (Xyrem) during daytime naps. We use a full spread of emotional stimuli to test all levels of valence and arousal. We find that increasing sleep spindle density increases memory discrimination (da) for highly arousing and negative stimuli without altering measures of bias (ca). These results indicate a broader role for sleep in the processing of emotional stimuli with differing effects based on arousal and valence, and they raise the possibility that sleep spindles causally facilitate emotional memory consolidation. These findings are discussed in terms of the known use of hypnotics in individuals with emotional mood disorders.

Snap! Recognising Implicit Actions in Static Point-Light Displays

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p6320 ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell Reid ◽  
Anna Brooks ◽  
Duncan Blair ◽  
Rick van der Zwan
Keyword(s):  
Biological Motion ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Point Light ◽  
Static Point ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Made In

Johansson (1973 Perception & Psychophysics14 201–211) suggested that point-light displays that are static—so-called ‘snapshots’—contain little or no information about the actor or their action. Here we present data that suggest even naive observers can perceive such information from static point-light arrays. Observers were able, at rates better than chance, to discriminate the directions of facing of sagittally viewed static point-light walkers. The data show also that, without feedback, performances improved with experience. Our data have implications for assumptions made in designing experiments with point-light displays and for models of the neural mechanisms mediating biological motion perceptions.

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