In the Light of Evolution Volume VII: The Human Mental Machinery (2014) / Chapter Skim
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9 Making Lasting Memories: Remembering the Significant--James L. McGaugh
9 Making Lasting Memories: Remembering the Significant--James L. McGaugh
Pages 157-168
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From page 157... ...
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.
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From page 158... ...
. EMOTIONAL AROUSAL AND LASTING MEMORY There is also extensive evidence that experiences that are emotionally arousing are well remembered (Brown and Kulik, 1977; Conway, 1995; McGaugh, 2003; Reisberg and Hertel, 2003)
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From page 159... ...
Electroconvulsive shock treatments impaired memory when administered to rats immediately after training. These findings were replicated and extended in extensive research with rats and mice in experiments using many kinds of treatments that disrupt brain functioning (McGaugh and Herz, 1972; McGaugh, 2000)
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From page 160... ...
. Although most experiments investigating stress hormone influences have used memory of stressful training, such as stress induced by mild footshocks, posttraining administration of stress hormones enhances memory for many kinds of less stressful experiences, including memory for rewards (Dornelles et al., 2007)
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From page 161... ...
. The extensive evidence that memory is influenced by noradrenergic agonists and antagonists infused into the amygdala after training suggests that emotionally arousing training experiences should increase norepinephrine release within the amygdala.
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From page 162... ...
enhanced memory for both place learning and cued response learning in a water maze. In contrast, hippocampal infusions selectively enhanced spatial memory, and caudate infusions selectively enhanced cued response memory.
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From page 163... ...
. EMOTIONAL AROUSAL, ADRENAL STRESS HORMONES, AND HUMAN MEMORY The findings of studies of the influence of arousal on human memory are consistent with the findings of studies using animal subjects: emotional arousal during or after learning enhances long-term memory, and the modulation involves epinephrine and cortisol.
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From page 164... ...
reported that arousal induced by exposure to cold pressor stress after a memory retrieval test increased salivary cortisol and enhanced memory of the test material when tested several days later. Other studies have reported evidence that adrenergic activation selectively influences memory for emotionally arousing stimulation (Maheu et al., 2004)
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From page 165... ...
. Findings of human brain imaging studies using functional MRI provide additional evidence that emotional arousal influences on memory involve noradrenergic activation of the amygdala.
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From page 166... ...
Recent research has identified a few human subjects who have a remarkable memory ability referred to as highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM) (Parker et al., 2006; LePort et al., 2012)
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From page 167... ...
Studies have not, as yet, investigated whether the strong memory of HSAM subjects involves experience-induced activation of stress hormones and activation of the amygdala. It may be that the modulatory systems of HSAM subjects are more highly activated by experiences or more sensitive to modestly arousing experiences.
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From page 168... ...
It is what we generally do, thanks to the modulating influences of emotional arousal on lasting memory. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Public Health Service Grant MH12526 and the Gerard Family Trust.
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