Event-Related Nociceptive Arousal Enhances Memory Consolidation for Neutral Scenes

Schwarze, Ulrike; Bingel, Ulrike; Sommer, Tobias

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4497-11.2012

Cited by 62 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 59 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Positive stimuli, whether delivered under a constant or intermittent schedule during learning, had no effect on parahippocampal activation relative to neutral stimuli, although arousal levels were matched independently for positive and negative stimuli. Similar to previous studies that have shown memory enhancement for negative emotional stimuli (Schwarze et al, 2012;Keightley, Chiew, Anderson, & Grady, 2011;Humphreys, Underwood, & Chapman, 2010;Mickley Steinmetz, Addis, & Kensinger, 2010;Mickley & Kensinger, 2008), our finding suggests that affectively modulated place memory is valence-specific. Our findings are also consistent with previous studies that have shown that the parahippocampal gyrus is specifically involved in the processing of negative emotional stimuli but not positive emotional stimuli (Aldhafeeri, Mackenzie, Kay, Alghamdi, & Sluming, 2012;Gosselin et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…It is perhaps not surprising therefore that we did not find significant amygdala activity for any of the place stimuli during scanning. A recent fMRI study that examined the influence of nociceptive stimuli on memory for neutral pictures also found no significant increase in amygdala activity during retrieval, despite evidence for enhanced activity in a number of other brain regions, including the parahippocampal gyrus (Schwarze et al, 2012). The affective salience of learned locations, although mediated via the amygdala during encoding and consolidation, is likely to be stored independently within the parahippocampal gyrus for later retrieval (Cahill & McGaugh, 1998;Packard, Cahill, & McGaugh, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…To minimize the possibility that the emotional response elicited by the IAPS images might carry over to the next learning trial, participants were required to undertake a difficult visual search task, which acted as an affective "buffer" at the end of every trial ( Figure 2B; Schwarze, Bingel, & Sommer, 2012). The visual search task required participants to search for a target letter (a leftward or rightward rotated T) among distractors (40 upright and inverted Ls and Ts).…”

Section: Learning Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Negative Emotional Experiences during Navigation Enhance Parahippocampal Activity during Recall of Place Information

Chan

Baumann

Bellgrove

et al. 2014

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract■ It is known that the parahippocampal cortex is involved in object-place associations in spatial learning, but it remains unknown whether activity within this region is modulated by affective signals during navigation. Here we used fMRI to measure the neural consequences of emotional experiences on place memory during navigation. A day before scanning, participants undertook an active object location memory task within a virtual house in which each room was associated with a different schedule of task-irrelevant emotional events. The events varied in valence (positive, negative, or neutral) and in their rate of occurrence (intermittent vs. constant). On a subsequent day, we measured neural activity while participants were shown static images of the previously learned virtual environment, now in the absence of any affective stimuli. Our results showed that parahippocampal activity was significantly enhanced bilaterally when participants viewed images of a room in which they had previously encountered negatively arousing events. We conclude that such automatic enhancement of place representations by aversive emotional events serves as an important adaptive mechanism for avoiding future threats. ■

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Learning Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Negative Emotional Experiences during Navigation Enhance Parahippocampal Activity during Recall of Place Information

Chan

Baumann

Bellgrove

et al. 2014

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Imaging studies have also provided evidence, consistent with evidence obtained with animal studies, that emotional arousal influences on consolidation of long-term memory involve interactions of the amygdala with other brain regions, including the hippocampus, during learning (126)(127)(128)(129)(130)(131)(132). Findings of human brain imaging studies using functional MRI provide additional evidence that emotional arousal influences on memory involve noradrenergic activation of the amygdala.…”

Section: Amygdala Influences On Other Brain Systemssupporting

confidence: 72%

Making lasting memories: Remembering the significant

McGaugh

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

249

177

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although forgetting is the common fate of most of our experiences, much evidence indicates that emotional arousal enhances the storage of memories, thus serving to create, selectively, lasting memories of our more important experiences. The neurobiological systems mediating emotional arousal and memory are very closely linked. The adrenal stress hormones epinephrine and corticosterone released by emotional arousal regulate the consolidation of long-term memory. The amygdala plays a critical role in mediating these stress hormone influences. The release of norepinephrine in the amygdala and the activation of noradrenergic receptors are essential for stress hormone-induced memory enhancement. The findings of both animal and human studies provide compelling evidence that stress-induced activation of the amygdala and its interactions with other brain regions involved in processing memory play a critical role in ensuring that emotionally significant experiences are well-remembered. Recent research has determined that some human subjects have highly superior autobiographic memory of their daily experiences and that there are structural differences in the brains of these subjects compared with the brains of subjects who do not have such memory. Understanding of neurobiological bases of such exceptional memory may provide additional insights into the processes underlying the selectivity of memory.Our brains, remarkable as they are, could not begin to contain and give equal weight to our every moment of life. (1) T he ability to learn and remember is essential for our survival. Remembering what has happened enables us to predict what is likely to happen and alter our behavior accordingly. As noted by Bernecker (2), "[r]emembering is a fundamental cognitive process, subserving virtually all other important cognitive functions . . . Since without memory one couldn't think, some philosophers go as far as to claim that memory is the mark of being human" (ref. 2, p. 1). This latter claim is, of course, off of the mark, because most, if not all, animals display memory of their experiences. However, the many moments of their lives and our lives are not given equal weight in memory: we do not remember equally well all of our experiences. As James (3) commented, "[o]f some [experiences] no memory survives the instance of their passage . . . Others . . . may be recalled as long as life endures. How can we explain these differences?" (ref. 3, p. 643). There are many possible explanations. Experiences that we attend to are, of course, more likely to be remembered. Some new experiences become lasting, because they fit well with and can be readily processed and integrated with existing memories (4). Additionally, beginning with the pioneering studies of Ebbinghaus (5), we learned that memories are strengthened by repetition or retrieval (6). Emotional Arousal and Lasting MemoryThere is also extensive evidence that experiences that are emotionally arousing are well-remembered (7-10). Experiences of unpleasant occasions, such as an auto...

show abstract

“…Because blood pressure and heart rate were back to normal levels only 3 hr after propranolol administration (i.e., 1-1.5 hr after encoding), a decrease in physiological arousal during initial memory consolidation could have counteracted arousal-mediated memory consolidation processes resulting in lower subjective recollection in the group that received propranolol at encoding. On the contrary, prior studies have shown that postlearning arousal selectively enhances familiarity, rather than recollection of neutral information presented beforehand (McCullough & Yonelinas, 2013;Schwarze, Bingel, & Sommer, 2012;Yonelinas, Parks, Koen, Jorgenson, & Mendoza, 2011). Thus, future studies are needed to determine the role of physiological arousal during encoding versus consolidation and its relation to the subjective recollective experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Beta-adrenergic Blockade at Memory Encoding, but Not Retrieval, Decreases the Subjective Sense of Recollection

Rimmele

Lackovic

Tobe

et al. 2016

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract■ Humans remember emotional events not only better but also exhibit a qualitatively distinct recollective experience-that is, emotion intensifies the subjective vividness of the memory, the sense of reliving the event, and confidence in the accuracy of the memory [Phelps, E. A., & Sharot, T. How (and why) emotion enhances the subjective sense of recollection. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 147-152, 2008]. Although it has been demonstrated that activation of the betaadrenergic system, linked to increases in stress hormone levels and physiological arousal, mediates enhanced emotional memory accuracy, the mechanism underlying the increased subjective sense of recollection is unknown. Behavioral evidence suggests that increased arousal associated with emotional events, either at encoding or retrieval, underlies their increased subjective sense of recollection. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, withinsubject design, we showed that reducing arousal at encoding through oral intake of 80-mg of the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol decreases the subjective sense of recollection for both negative and neutral stimuli 24 hr later. In contrast, administration of propranolol before memory retrieval did not alter the subjective sense of recollection. These results suggest that the neurohormonal changes underlying increased arousal at the time of memory formation, rather than the time of memory retrieval, modulate the subjective sense of recollection. ■

show abstract

Event-Related Nociceptive Arousal Enhances Memory Consolidation for Neutral Scenes

Cited by 62 publications

References 59 publications

Negative Emotional Experiences during Navigation Enhance Parahippocampal Activity during Recall of Place Information

Negative Emotional Experiences during Navigation Enhance Parahippocampal Activity during Recall of Place Information

Making lasting memories: Remembering the significant

Beta-adrenergic Blockade at Memory Encoding, but Not Retrieval, Decreases the Subjective Sense of Recollection

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About