scholarly journals Associations between Basal Cortisol Levels and Memory Retrieval in Healthy Young Individuals

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1896-1907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Ackermann ◽  
Francina Hartmann ◽  
Andreas Papassotiropoulos ◽  
Dominique J.-F. de Quervain ◽  
Björn Rasch

Cortisol is known to affect memory processes. On the one hand, stress-induced or pharmacologically induced elevations of cortisol levels enhance memory consolidation. On the other hand, such experimentally induced elevations of cortisol levels have been shown to impair memory retrieval. However, the effects of individual differences in basal cortisol levels on memory processes remain largely unknown. Here we tested whether individual differences in cortisol levels predict picture learning and recall in a large sample. A total of 1225 healthy young women and men viewed two different sets of emotional and neutral pictures on two consecutive days. Both sets were recalled after a short delay (10 min). On Day 2, the pictures seen on Day 1 were additionally recalled, resulting in a long-delay (20 hr) recall condition. Cortisol levels were measured three times on Days 1 and 2 via saliva samples before encoding, between encoding and recall as well as after recall testing. We show that stronger decreases in cortisol levels during retrieval testing were associated with better recall performance of pictures, regardless of emotional valence of the pictures or length of the retention interval (i.e., 10 min vs. 20 hr). In contrast, average cortisol levels during retrieval were not related to picture recall. Remarkably during encoding, individual differences in average cortisol levels as well as changes in cortisol did not predict memory recall. Our results support previous findings indicating that higher cortisol levels during retrieval testing hinders recall of episodic memories and extend this view onto interindividual changes in basal cortisol levels.

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.C. Howard ◽  
A. Chaiwutikornwanich

This study combined an individual differences approach to interrogative suggestibility (IS) with ERP recordings to examine two alternative hypotheses regarding the source of individual differences in IS: (1) differences in attention to task-relevant vis-à-vis task-irrelevant stimuli, and (2) differences in one or more memory processes, indexed by ERP old/new effects. Sixty-five female participants underwent an ERP recording during the 50 min interval between immediate and delayed recall of a short story. ERPs elicited by pictures that either related to the story (“old”), or did not relate to the story (“new”), were recorded using a three-stimulus visual oddball paradigm. ERP old/new effects were examined at selected scalp regions of interest at three post-stimulus intervals: early (250-350 ms), middle (350-700 ms), and late (700-1100 ms). In addition, attention-related ERP components (N1, P2, N2, and P3) evoked by story-relevant pictures, story-irrelevant pictures, and irrelevant distractors were measured from midline electrodes. Late (700-1100 ms) frontal ERP old/new differences reflected individual differences in IS, while early (250-350 ms) and middle latency (350-700 ms) ERP old/new differences distinguished good from poor performers in memory and oddball tasks, respectively. Differences in IS were not reflected in ERP indices of attention. Results supported an account of IS as reflecting individual differences in postretrieval memory processes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 245-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Lekander ◽  
Jennie Axén ◽  
Urban Knutsson ◽  
Caroline Olgart Höglund ◽  
Sigbritt Werner ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 622-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Magalhães Pereira ◽  
Nayron Medeiros Soares ◽  
Andreo Rysdyk de Souza ◽  
Jefferson Becker ◽  
Alessandro Finkelsztejn ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, progressive and neurodegenerative disease. A disturbance on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis can be observed in patients with MS, showing altered cortisol levels. We aimed to identify basal cortisol levels and verify the relationship with clinical symptoms in patients with MS. A systematic search was conducted in the databases: Pubmed, Web of Science and SCOPUS. Both higher and lower cortisol levels were associated with MS. Higher cortisol levels were associated with depression and anxiety, while lower levels were associated with depression, fatigue and urinary dysfunction. Higher cortisol levels may be associated with the progression and severity of MS.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Bone ◽  
Bradley R. Buchsbaum

AbstractThe hippocampus is a key brain region for the storage and retrieval of episodic memories, but how it performs this function is unresolved. According to the hippocampal indexing theory, the hippocampus stores an event-specific index of the pattern of neocortical activity that occurred during perception. During retrieval, reactivation of the index by a partial cue facilitates the reactivation of the associated neocortical pattern. Therefore, event-specific retrieval requires joint reactivation of the hippocampal index and the associated neocortical networks. To test this theory, we examine the relation between performance on a recognition memory task requiring retrieval of image-specific visual details and feature-specific reactivation within the hippocampus and neocortex. We show that trial-by-trial recognition accuracy correlates with neural reactivation of low-level features (e.g. luminosity and edges) within the posterior hippocampus and early visual cortex for participants with high recognition lure accuracy. As predicted, the two regions interact, such that recognition accuracy correlates with hippocampal reactivation only when reactivation co-occurs within the early visual cortex (and vice-versa). In addition to supporting the hippocampal indexing theory, our findings show large individual differences in the features underlying visual memory and suggest that the anterior and posterior hippocampus represents gist-like and detailed features, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhán M Griffin ◽  
Siobhán Howard

Instructed use of reappraisal to regulate stress in the laboratory is typically associated with a more adaptive cardiovascular response to stress, indexed by either: (i) lower cardiovascular reactivity (CVR; e.g., lower blood pressure); or (ii) a challenge-oriented response profile (i.e., greater cardiac output paired with lower total peripheral resistance). In contrast, instructed use of suppression is associated with exaggerated CVR (e.g., greater heart rate, blood pressure). Despite this, few studies have examined if the habitual use of these strategies are related to cardiovascular responding during stress. The current study examined the relationship between cardiovascular responses to acute stress and individual differences in emotion regulation style: trait reappraisal, suppression, and emotion regulation difficulties. Forty-eight participants (25 women, 23 men) completed a standardised laboratory stress paradigm incorporating a 20-minute acclimatization period, a 10-minute baseline, and two 5-minute speech tasks separated by a 10-minute inter-task rest period. The emotional valence of the speech task was examined as a potential moderating factor; participants spoke about a block of negative-emotion words and a block of neutral-emotion words. Cardiovascular parameters were measured using the Finometer Pro. Greater habitual use of suppression was associated with exaggerated blood pressure responding to both tasks. However, only in response to the negative-emotion task was greater use of reappraisal associated with a challenge-oriented cardiovascular response. The findings suggest that individual differences in emotion regulation translate to differing patterns of CVR to stress, but the emotional valence of the stressor may play a role.


2010 ◽  
Vol 124 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 75-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Isabel Mota Silva ◽  
Catarina I.M. Martins ◽  
Sofia Engrola ◽  
Giovanna Marino ◽  
Øyvind Øverli ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith W. Burton

Images of pleasant scenes usually produce increased activity over the zygomaticus major muscle, as measured by electromyography (EMG), while less activity is elicited by unpleasant images. However, increases in zygomaticus major EMG activity while viewing unpleasant images have occasionally been reported in the literature on affective facial expression (i.e., “grimacing”). To examine the possibility that individual differences in emotion regulation might be responsible for this inconsistently observed phenomenon, the habitual emotion regulation tendencies of 63 participants (32 women) were assessed and categorized according to their regulatory tendencies. Participants viewed emotionally salient images while zygomaticus major EMG activity was recorded. Participants also provided self-report ratings of their experienced emotional valence and arousal while viewing the pictures. Despite demonstrating intact affective ratings, the “grimacing” pattern of zygomaticus major activity was observed in those who were less likely to use the cognitive reappraisal strategy to regulate their emotions.


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