1
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Riddell C, Yonelinas AP, Shields GS. When stress enhances memory encoding: The beneficial effects of changing context. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 205:107836. [PMID: 37820758 PMCID: PMC10909400 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
The effects of acute stress on memory encoding are complex, and we do not yet know all of the conditions that can determine whether stress at encoding improves or impairs memory. Recent work has found that changing contexts between encoding and stress can abolish the effects of post-encoding stress on memory, suggesting that context may play an important role in the effects of stress on memory. However, the role of context in the effects of stress on memory encoding is not yet known. We addressed this gap by examining the effects of context on the influence of acute stress on memory encoding. In a 2 × 2 experimental design, participants (N = 103) completed either a stressor (i.e., Socially Evaluated Cold Presser Test) or control task (i.e., warm water control) before completing a memory encoding task, which occurred in either in the same room as or a different room from the stressor or control task. Memory retrieval was tested for each participant within the context that they completed the encoding task. We found that, relative to nonstressed (i.e., control) participants, stressed participants who switched contexts prior to encoding showed better memory for both negative and neutral images. In contrast, when the stressor or control task occurred in the same room as memory encoding, stress had no beneficial effect on memory. These results highlight the importance of the ongoing context as a determinant of the effects of stress on memory encoding and present a challenge to current theoretical accounts of stress and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Riddell
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Andrew P Yonelinas
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
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2
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Effects of encoding type and retention interval on emotional memory. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04396-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
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3
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Schaeffer JD, Newell C, Spann C, Siemens G, Liegey Dougall A. Inflammation, depression, and anxiety related to recognition memory in young adults. THE JOURNAL OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 150:1-25. [PMID: 33729100 DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2021.1893638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that common modifiable health risk factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, metabolic illness, inflammation) may have an impact on memory. In the present study, we sought to investigate relationships between a number of these health risk factors and two components of recognition memory (recollection and familiarity). Data were analyzed for 96 healthy young adults between 17 and 25 years old. Recollection and familiarity were measured using an associative recognition procedure involving unitized and unrelated word pairs, and regression analyses were used to relate recognition memory performance to physical health (inflammation via plasma IL-6 levels, central obesity via waste-to-hip ratio, and heart rate variability) and mental health (depression via CESD-R, stress via PSS, and state and personality trait anxiety via STAI) measures of modifiable risk factors. Together, these health variables predicted an additional 19% of the variance in recollection beyond what was accounted for by familiarity, and 15% of the variance in familiarity beyond what was accounted for by recollection. These effects were primarily driven by inflammation, depression, and trait anxiety, which were each significant (p < .05) independent predictors of recognition. Higher levels of depression and inflammation were related to worse recollection yet better familiarity. Higher levels of trait anxiety were related to better recollection but were not related to familiarity. These findings demonstrate complex relationships between these modifiable health risk factors and recognition memory. Future longitudinal and cross-sectional research is needed to further explore these relationships and determine whether or not poor health causes these changes in recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Schaeffer
- Department of Psychology, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Cory Newell
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA.,LINK Research Lab, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Catherine Spann
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - George Siemens
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA.,LINK Research Lab, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Angela Liegey Dougall
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA.,LINK Research Lab, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
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4
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Schultz H, Yoo J, Meshi D, Heekeren HR. Category-specific memory encoding in the medial temporal lobe and beyond: the role of reward. Learn Mem 2022; 29:379-389. [PMID: 36180131 PMCID: PMC9536755 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053558.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The medial temporal lobe (MTL), including the hippocampus (HC), perirhinal cortex (PRC), and parahippocampal cortex (PHC), is central to memory formation. Reward enhances memory through interplay between the HC and substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SNVTA). While the SNVTA also innervates the MTL cortex and amygdala (AMY), their role in reward-enhanced memory is unclear. Prior research suggests category specificity in the MTL cortex, with the PRC and PHC processing object and scene memory, respectively. It is unknown, however, whether reward modulates category-specific memory processes. Furthermore, no study has demonstrated clear category specificity in the MTL for encoding processes contributing to subsequent recognition memory. To address these questions, we had 39 healthy volunteers (27 for all memory-based analyses) undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an incidental encoding task pairing objects or scenes with high or low reward, followed by a next-day recognition test. Behaviorally, high reward preferably enhanced object memory. Neural activity in the PRC and PHC reflected successful encoding of objects and scenes, respectively. Importantly, AMY encoding effects were selective for high-reward objects, with a similar pattern in the PRC. The SNVTA and HC showed no clear evidence of successful encoding. This behavioral and neural asymmetry may be conveyed through an anterior-temporal memory system, including the AMY and PRC, potentially in interplay with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidrun Schultz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jungsun Yoo
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Dar Meshi
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Executive University Board, Universität Hamburg, 20148 Hamburg, Germany
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5
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Schaeffer JD, Chek CJW. Recollection, familiarity, and behavioural pattern separation: A correlational study. Memory 2022; 30:1248-1257. [DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2101665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James D. Schaeffer
- Department of Psychology, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Carmen Jia-Wen Chek
- Department of Psychology and Counseling, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX, USA
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6
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Does older adults' cognition particularly suffer from stress? A systematic review of acute stress effects on cognition in older age. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:583-602. [PMID: 34896431 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This literature review provides the first comprehensive qualitative and quantitative systematic synthesis of acute laboratory stress effects on older adults' cognition by specifying the direction and magnitude of those effects both overall and for different cognitive processes separately. A systematic literature search was performed, and effect sizes estimated whenever possible. We found meta-analytical evidence that stress has negative effects on older adults' verbal fluency (gadj = -0.53, 95 % CI [-2.70, 1.63]), null-to-negative effects on episodic memory (gadj = -0.26, 95 % CI [-0.44, -0.08]), null effects on executive functions (gadj = 0.07, 95 % CI [-0.31, 0.46]), and enhancing effects on working memory (gadj = 0.16, 95 % CI [-0.01, 0.33]). Relating these findings to those in young adults, notable differences emerged for some cognitive functions, such as opposing effects on working memory between age groups. Our review further reveals that stress effects on older adults' memory retention, associative memory, prospective memory, interference control or cognitive flexibility are heavily understudied. We provide a conceptual and methodological framework for future studies in older adults.
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7
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Marr C, Sauerland M, Otgaar H, Quaedflieg CWEM, Hope L. The effects of acute stress on eyewitness memory: an integrative review for eyewitness researchers. Memory 2021; 29:1091-1100. [PMID: 34309476 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1955935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The eyewitness and fundamental memory research fields have investigated the effects of acute stress at encoding on memory performance for decades yet results often demonstrate contrasting conclusions. In this review, we first summarise findings on the effects of acute encoding stress on memory performance and discuss how these research fields often come to these diverging findings regarding the effects of encoding stress on memory performance. Next, we critically evaluate methodological choices that underpin these discrepancies, emphasising the strengths and limitations of different stress-memory experiments. Specifically, we elaborate on choice of stressors and stimuli, stress manipulation checks, stressor timing, and the interval between encoding and retrieval and discuss how methodological shortcomings in both the eyewitness and fundamental memory fields have limited our understanding of how encoding stress may affect eyewitness memory performance. Finally, we propose several recommendations for researchers interested in this topic, such as confirming stress inductions with physiological measures, implementing sufficient retrieval intervals to isolate the memory phase of interest and using ecologically valid memory paradigms. We conclude that the best progress can be made if researchers are responsive to the methodologies and findings reported in other research fields and encourage collaborations between the different disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carey Marr
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Melanie Sauerland
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.,Leuven Institute of Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Conny W E M Quaedflieg
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Lorraine Hope
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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8
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Shields GS, Hostinar CE, Vilgis V, Forbes EE, Hipwell AE, Keenan K, Guyer AE. Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity in Childhood Predicts Emotional Memory Effects and Related Neural Circuitry in Adolescent Girls. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 33:872-886. [PMID: 34449842 PMCID: PMC8764738 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Negative emotional experiences can be more difficult to forget than neutral ones, a phenomenon termed the "emotional memory effect." Individual differences in the strength of the emotional memory effect are associated with emotional health. Thus, understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of the emotional memory effect has important implications, especially for individuals at risk for emotional health problems. Although the neural basis of emotional memory effects has been relatively well defined, less is known about how hormonal factors that can modulate emotional memory, such as glucocorticoids, relate to that neural basis. Importantly, probing the role of glucocorticoids in the stress- and emotion-sensitive period of late childhood to adolescence could provide actionable points of intervention. We addressed this gap by testing whether hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity during a parent-child conflict task at 11 years of age predicted emotional memory and its primary neural circuitry (i.e., amygdala-hippocampus functional connectivity) at 16 years of age in a longitudinal study of 147 girls (104 with complete data). Results showed that lower HPA axis activity predicted stronger emotional memory effects, r(124) = -.236, p < .01, and higher emotional memory-related functional connectivity between the right hippocampus and the right amygdala, β = -.385, p < .001. These findings suggest that late childhood HPA axis activity may modulate the neural circuitry of emotional memory effects in adolescence, which may confer a potential risk trajectory for emotional health among girls.
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9
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Cunningham TJ, Mattingly SM, Tlatenchi A, Wirth MM, Alger SE, Kensinger EA, Payne JD. Higher post-encoding cortisol benefits the selective consolidation of emotional aspects of memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 180:107411. [PMID: 33609737 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Emotional experiences create durable memory traces in the brain, especially when these memories are consolidated in the presence of stress hormones such as cortisol. Although some research suggests cortisol elevation can increase long-term memory for emotional relative to neutral content, the impact of stress and cortisol on the consolidation of emotional and neutral aspects of memories when they are part of the same experience remains unknown. Here, after encoding complex scenes consisting of negative or neutral objects placed on neutral backgrounds, participants were exposed to a psychosocial stressor (or matched control condition) in order to examine the impact of stress and cortisol on early consolidation processes. The next day, once cortisol levels had returned to baseline, specific and gist recognition memory were tested separately for objects and backgrounds. Results indicate that while there was a numerical increase in memory for negative objects in the stress group, higher endogenous cortisol concentrations were specifically associated with decreased memory for the neutral backgrounds originally paired with negative objects. Moreover, across all participants, cortisol levels were positively correlated with the magnitude of the emotional memory trade-off effect. Specifically, while memory for negative objects was preserved, elevated cortisol during early consolidation was associated with decreased memory for neutral backgrounds that were initially paired with negative objects. These memory effects were observed in both the stricter specific measure of memory and the less conservative measure of gist memory. Together, these findings suggest that rather than influencing all aspects of an experience similarly, elevated cortisol during early consolidation selectively preserves what is most emotionally salient and adaptive to remember while allowing the loss of memory for less important neutral information over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony J Cunningham
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States.
| | - Stephen M Mattingly
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States(1)
| | - Antonio Tlatenchi
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States(1)
| | - Michelle M Wirth
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States(1)
| | - Sara E Alger
- Behavioral Biology Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Kensinger
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States
| | - Jessica D Payne
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States(1).
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10
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Post-Encoding Stress Does Not Enhance Memory Consolidation: The Role of Cortisol and Testosterone Reactivity. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120995. [PMID: 33339431 PMCID: PMC7766306 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the large body of research on the effects of stress-induced cortisol on memory consolidation in young people, far less attention has been devoted to understanding the effects of stress-induced testosterone on this memory phase. This study examined the psychobiological (i.e., anxiety, cortisol, and testosterone) response to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test and its impact on free recall and recognition for emotional and neutral material. Thirty-seven healthy young men and women were exposed to a stress (MAST) or control task post-encoding, and 24 h later, they had to recall the material previously learned. Results indicated that the MAST increased anxiety and cortisol levels, but it did not significantly change the testosterone levels. Post-encoding MAST did not affect memory consolidation for emotional and neutral pictures. Interestingly, however, cortisol reactivity was negatively related to free recall for negative low-arousal pictures, whereas testosterone reactivity was positively related to free recall for negative-high arousal and total pictures. This study provides preliminary evidence about a different reactivity of testosterone and cortisol to the MAST as well as on their effects on consolidation. Our results suggest a different pattern of relationships between these steroid hormones and the arousal of the negative images.
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11
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Physiological and subjective validation of a novel stress procedure: The Simple Singing Stress Procedure. Behav Res Methods 2020; 53:1478-1487. [DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01505-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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12
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Stress-Induced Increase in Cortisol Negatively Affects the Consolidation of Contextual Elements of Episodic Memories. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10060358. [PMID: 32526848 PMCID: PMC7349384 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10060358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress can modulate episodic memory in various ways. The present study asks how post-encoding stress affects visual context memory. Participants encoded object images centrally positioned on background scenes. After encoding, they were either exposed to cold pressure stress (CPS) or a warm water control procedure. Forty-right hours later, participants were cued with object images, and for each image, they were asked to select the background scene with which it was paired during study among three highly similar options. Only male but not female participants reacted with a significant increase in salivary cortisol to CPS, and the stress and control group did not differ in recognition performance. Comparing recognition performance between stress responders and non-responders, however, revealed a significant impairment in context memory in responders. Additionally, proportional increase in cortisol was negatively correlated with the number of correctly recognized scenes in responders. Due to the small number of responders, these findings need to be interpreted with caution but provide preliminary evidence that stress-induced cortisol increase negatively affects the consolidation of contextual elements of episodic memories.
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13
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Dos Santos Corrêa M, Vaz BDS, Grisanti GDV, de Paiva JPQ, Tiba PA, Fornari RV. Relationship between footshock intensity, post-training corticosterone release and contextual fear memory specificity over time. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 110:104447. [PMID: 31561085 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Overgeneralized fear has long been implicated in generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, however, time-dependent mechanisms underlying memory retrieval are still not completely understood. Previous studies have revealed that stronger fear conditioning training protocols are associated with both increased post-training corticosterone (CORT) levels and fear responses at later retrieval tests. Here we used contextual fear conditioning (CFC) to investigate the relationship between post-training CORT levels and memory specificity in different retrieval timepoints. Wistar rats were exposed to CFC training with increasing footshock intensities (0.3, 0.6 or 1.0mA) and had their blood collected 30 min afterwards to measure post-training plasma CORT. After 2, 14 or 28 days, rats were tested for memory specificity either in the training or in the novel context. Regression analysis was used to verify linear and non-linear interactions between CORT levels and freezing. Higher footshock intensities increased post-training CORT levels and freezing times during tests in all timepoints. Moreover, stronger trainings elicited faster memory generalization, which was associated with higher CORT levels during memory consolidation. The 0.3mA training maintained memory specificity up to 28 days. Additionally, linear regressions suggest that the shift from specific to generalized memories is underway at 14 days after training. These results are consistent with the hypotheses that stronger training protocols elicit a faster generalization rate, and that this process is associated with increased post-training CORT release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moisés Dos Santos Corrêa
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | - Barbara Dos Santos Vaz
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriel David Vieira Grisanti
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Paula Ayako Tiba
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
| | - Raquel Vecchio Fornari
- Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC), Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil.
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14
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No effect of cold pressor test-induced arousal on attentional benefits and costs in an endogenous spatial orienting paradigm. Neuropsychologia 2019; 135:107250. [PMID: 31682926 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that arousal can influence hemispatial bias, suggesting that changes in arousal affect the neural networks involved in spatial attention control. The goal of the present study was to measure the effects of increased arousal on endogenous attentional orienting. We used a Spatial Orienting Paradigm to quantify attentional benefits and costs as measures of attentional orienting and re-orienting responses and exposed participants (N = 25; Experiment 1) to a bilateral feet Cold Pressor Test (CPT) to manipulate arousal. Increases in subjective distress ratings and blood pressure confirmed the effect of CPT on arousal. Although no overall effects of CPT on reaction times in the Spatial Orienting Paradigm were detected, an exploratory analysis of sex-specific effects revealed a left-lateralised decrease in benefits and increase in costs after CPT exposure in the male subsample (N = 11). To confirm these preliminary results, we repeated the experiment in a larger sample (N = 29, all male), but found no effect of CPT on orienting, with moderate to strong evidence in favour of a model excluding all (interaction) effects of CPT exposure (all BFIncl < 0.3). Instead, our replicated results indicate that voluntary orienting is unaffected by CPT-induced increases of arousal. In the light of previous studies, and keeping in mind the interpretative challenges of null results, we discuss how and why our findings may be specific to endogenous as opposed to exogenous orienting and how arousal could possibly lead to the previously established effects on visuospatial bias without simultaneously affecting orienting and the underlying attention control networks.
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15
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Shields GS, McCullough AM, Ritchey M, Ranganath C, Yonelinas AP. Stress and the medial temporal lobe at rest: Functional connectivity is associated with both memory and cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 106:138-146. [PMID: 30981087 PMCID: PMC6615559 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
When acute stress is experienced immediately after memory encoding (i.e., post-encoding stress) it can significantly impact subsequent memory for that event. For example, recent work has suggested that post-encoding stress occurring in a different context from encoding impairs memory. However, the neural processes underlying these effects are poorly understood. We aimed to expand this understanding by conducting an analysis of resting functional connectivity in the period following post-encoding stress that occurred in a different context than encoding, using seed regions in the medial temporal lobes known for their roles in memory. In the current study of 44 males randomized to stress (n = 23) or control (n = 21) groups, we found that stress increased cortisol, impaired recollection of neutral materials, and altered functional connectivity with medial temporal lobe regions. Although stress did not significantly alter hippocampus-amygdala functional connectivity, relative to participants in the control group, participants in the post-encoding stress group showed lower functional connectivity between the hippocampus and a region with a peak in the superior temporal gyrus. Across participants in both groups, functional connectivity between these regions was related to greater increases in cortisol, and it was also inversely related to recollection of neutral materials. In contrast, the stress group showed greater parahippocampal cortex functional connectivity with a region in the left middle temporal gyrus than the control group. Moreover, greater functional connectivity between the parahippocampal cortex and the observed cluster in the middle temporal gyrus was associated with greater cortisol changes from pre- to post-manipulation, but was not related to differences in memory. The results show that post-encoding stress can alter the resting-state functional connectivity between the medial temporal lobe and neocortex, which may help explain how stress impacts memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant S. Shields
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience,
University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Andrew M. McCullough
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience,
University of California, Davis, USA
| | | | - Charan Ranganath
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience,
University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Andrew P. Yonelinas
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience,
University of California, Davis, USA
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16
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Goldfarb EV. Enhancing memory with stress: Progress, challenges, and opportunities. Brain Cogn 2019; 133:94-105. [PMID: 30553573 PMCID: PMC9972486 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Stress can strongly influence what we learn and remember, including by making memories stronger. Experiments probing stress effects on hippocampus-dependent memory in rodents have revealed modulatory factors and physiological mechanisms by which acute stress can enhance long-term memory. However, extending these findings and mechanisms to understand when stress will enhance declarative memory in humans faces important challenges. This review synthesizes human and rodent studies of stress and memory, examining translational gaps related to measurements of declarative memory and stress responses in humans. Human studies diverge from rodent research by assessing declarative memories that may not depend on the hippocampus and by measuring peripheral rather than central stress responses. This highlights opportunities for future research across species, including assessing stress effects on hippocampal-dependent memory processes in humans and relating peripheral stress responses to stress effects on the function of memory-related brain regions in rodents. Together, these investigations will facilitate the translation of stress effects on memory function from rodents to humans and inform interventions that can harness the positive effects of stress on long-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Yale Stress Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 2 Church Street South, Suite 209, New Haven, CT 06519, United States.
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17
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Wiemers US, Hamacher-Dang TC, Yonelinas AP, Wolf OT. Pre-encoding stress induced changes in perceived stress, blood pressure and cortisol are differentially associated with recollection and familiarity. Brain Cogn 2019; 133:5-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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18
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Nitschke JP, Chu S, Pruessner JC, Bartz JA, Sheldon S. Post-learning stress reduces the misinformation effect: effects of psychosocial stress on memory updating. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 102:164-171. [PMID: 30562688 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Episodic memories can be modified when exposed to new and related information. This phenomenon, known as memory updating, is generally thought to be adaptive but can also lead to incorporating false information into a memory trace. Given the well-known effects of stress on episodic memory, we used a false information paradigm to investigate if acute stress during memory updating (i.e., post-learning stage) affected false memory formation. In a between-subject design, young healthy participants completed the initial phases of the misinformation experiment - they studied an event via a slideshow and then were exposed a related narrative that contained misleading information about that event. After, half of the participants were exposed to acute psychosocial stress and the other half completed a control task. Once stress levels returned to baseline, all of the participants completed the final phase of the experiment, which was a memory test for slideshow that included items containing true facts and misinformation. Participants in the stress condition showed a reduced misinformation effect and were better able to discriminate true from false information compared to control participants. This pattern of results held even when participants were tested on the same memory test after a multiple day delay, illustrating the long-lasting effects of stress on false memory formation specifically, and memory updating generally. We discuss how our results add to the understanding of the time-dependent factors that moderate stress effects on memory, and speculate how stress effects on memory updating can be positive, by limiting intrusions into encoded events, but also negative, by limiting the ability to integrate information with other concepts, harming memory generalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas P Nitschke
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Avenue McGill College 2001, H3A 1G1 Montreal, Canada.
| | - Sonja Chu
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Avenue McGill College 2001, H3A 1G1 Montreal, Canada
| | - Jens C Pruessner
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jennifer A Bartz
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Avenue McGill College 2001, H3A 1G1 Montreal, Canada
| | - Signy Sheldon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Avenue McGill College 2001, H3A 1G1 Montreal, Canada
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19
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Jiang A, Tran TT, Madison FN, Bakker A. Acute stress-induced cortisol elevation during memory consolidation enhances pattern separation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 26:121-127. [PMID: 30898974 PMCID: PMC6432168 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048546.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Stress is a potent modulator of brain function and particularly mnemonic processes. While chronic stress is associated with long-term deficits in memory, the effects of acute stress on mnemonic functions are less clear as previous reports have been inconsistent. Some studies suggest that cortisol, a stress hormone that modulates biological changes in response to stress, may enhance memory consolidation and impair memory retrieval. However, other studies report no effect of cortisol on either memory consolidation or retrieval. These discrepancies could be due to differences in the timing and sequencing of the experimental procedures or individual differences in participants’ stress response. In the present study, we examined the effect of increased cortisol levels due to acute stress, induced by the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), on a pattern separation memory task while differentiating the distinct stages of memory processing and controlling for the effects of diurnal variation. Sixty-nine young adults completed a 2-d study in which subjects either underwent the TSST immediately following the encoding part of the memory task, targeting memory consolidation, or immediately prior to the recognition part of the memory task on the second day, targeting memory retrieval. Control subjects completed the same study procedures but underwent a control version of the TSST that did not induce a stress response. Mnemonic discrimination of highly similar stimuli was enhanced by stress induced during consolidation with better discrimination showing a significant correlation with increased cortisol responses. Stress induced during memory retrieval showed no significant effect on memory performance. These findings suggest that stress induced changes in cortisol differentially affect the consolidation and retrieval stages of memory function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Jiang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Tammy T Tran
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Farrah N Madison
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
| | - Arnold Bakker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
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20
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Sazma MA, McCullough AM, Shields GS, Yonelinas AP. Using acute stress to improve episodic memory: The critical role of contextual binding. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 158:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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21
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Ferreira SO. Activación emocional en sujetos humanos: procedimientos para la inducción experimental de estrés. PSICOLOGIA USP 2019. [DOI: 10.1590/0103-6564e20180176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Resumen El estudio de los efectos del estrés sobre la cognición y el comportamiento es un área de especial interés y desarrollo científico, tanto para la Psicología como para las Neurociencias. La inducción de estrés constituye un elemento fundamental en estos estudios, pues permite la manipulación de esta forma de activación emocional, como variable independiente, para observar su efecto sobre la conducta; no obstante, esta inducción debe ser suficiente para generar incrementos significativos en los niveles de cortisol y cumplir los estándares éticos establecidos para la experimentación con humanos. El presente artículo tiene como propósito aportar una revisión general sobre la activación emocional, para profundizar en el conocimiento acerca de los procedimientos utilizados en la inducción experimental de estrés en sujetos humanos. Se concluye que se requiere el diseño de protocolos más eficaces, para lo cual, el uso de las simulaciones y otras herramientas tecnológicas puede ser de gran utilidad.
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22
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Goldfarb EV, Sinha R. Drug-Induced Glucocorticoids and Memory for Substance Use. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:853-868. [PMID: 30170822 PMCID: PMC6204074 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The biological stress response of the body forms one of the foundations of adaptive behavior, including promoting (and impairing) different forms of memory. This response transcends stressful experiences and underlies reactions to challenges and even reinforcers such as addictive substances. Nevertheless, drug-induced stress responses are rarely incorporated into models of addiction. We propose here that drug-induced stress responses (particularly glucocorticoids) play a crucial role in addictive behavior by modulating the formation of memories for substance-use experiences. We review the contributions of amygdala-, striatum-, and hippocampus-based memory systems to addiction, and reveal common effects of addictive drugs and acute stress on these different memories. We suggest that the contributions of drug-induced stress responses to memory may provide insights into the mechanisms driving addictive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology; Yale Stress Center; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience; Yale Stress Center; Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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23
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Sazma MA, Shields GS, Yonelinas AP. The effects of post-encoding stress and glucocorticoids on episodic memory in humans and rodents. Brain Cogn 2018; 133:12-23. [PMID: 31178013 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
It is now well established that acute stress shortly after encoding (i.e., post-encoding stress) can benefit episodic memory. In the current paper, we briefly review the human literature examining the effects of post-encoding stress on episodic memory, and we relate that literature to studies of post-encoding manipulations of cortisol in humans, as well as studies of post-encoding stress and administration of corticosterone on analogous memory tasks in rodents. An examination of the literature reveals several important gaps in our understanding of stress and memory. For example, although the human literature shows that post-encoding stress generally improves memory, these effects are not observed if stress occurs in a different context from learning. Moreover, the rodent literature shows that post-encoding stress generally impairs memory instead of improving it, and these effects depend on whether the animal is habituated to the learning context prior to encoding. Although many aspects of the results support a cellular consolidation account of post-encoding stress, we present possible modifications, such as a network reset, to better account for the data. We also suggest that it is important to incorporate ideas of contextual binding in order to understanding the effects of post-encoding stress and glucocorticoids on memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Sazma
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Andrew P Yonelinas
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA; Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
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24
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Goldfarb EV, Tompary A, Davachi L, Phelps EA. Acute stress throughout the memory cycle: Diverging effects on associative and item memory. J Exp Psychol Gen 2018; 148:13-29. [PMID: 30221962 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress can modulate memory for individual parts of an event (items), but whether it similarly influences memory for associations between items remains unclear. We used a within-subjects design to explore the influence of acute stress on item and associative memory in humans. Participants associated negative words with neutral objects, rated their subjective arousal for each pair, and completed delayed item and paired associative recognition tasks. We found strikingly different patterns of acute stress effects on item and associative memory: for high-arousal pairs, preencoding stress enhanced associative memory, whereas postencoding stress enhanced item memory. Preretrieval stress consistently impaired both forms of memory. We found that the influence of stress-induced cortisol also varied, with a linear relationship between cortisol and item memory but a quadratic relationship between cortisol and associative memory. These findings reveal key differences in how stress, throughout the memory cycle, shapes our memories for items and associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
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25
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Antypa D, Vuilleumier P, Rimmele U. Suppressing cortisol at encoding reduces the emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 155:86-91. [PMID: 29940255 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The stress hormone cortisol, released when encountering an emotional event, contributes to form a strong emotional memory. Such emotionally arousing memories are recalled with an enhanced subjective sense of recollection, i.e. experienced in memory as more vivid and richer in details. We examined here whether cortisol plays a role in this emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection for a set of learned scenes. Suppressing cortisol at encoding decreased the emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection at a test 28 h later, but did not affect familiarity and memory for a contextual detail. Individual cortisol levels were significantly correlated to emotional enhancement in subjective sense of recollection. These findings indicate that cortisol plays a modulatory role for enhanced subjective sense of recollection for emotional events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Despina Antypa
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Clinical Neurology, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Rimmele
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability (CIGEV), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
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26
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Paul M, Fellner MC, Waldhauser GT, Minda JP, Axmacher N, Suchan B, Wolf OT. Stress Elevates Frontal Midline Theta in Feedback-based Category Learning of Exceptions. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:799-813. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Adapting behavior based on category knowledge is a fundamental cognitive function, which can be achieved via different learning strategies relying on different systems in the brain. Whereas the learning of typical category members has been linked to implicit, prototype abstraction learning, which relies predominantly on prefrontal areas, the learning of exceptions is associated with explicit, exemplar-based learning, which has been linked to the hippocampus. Stress is known to foster implicit learning strategies at the expense of explicit learning. Procedural, prefrontal learning and cognitive control processes are reflected in frontal midline theta (4–8 Hz) oscillations during feedback processing. In the current study, we examined the effect of acute stress on feedback-based category learning of typical category members and exceptions and the oscillatory correlates of feedback processing in the EEG. A computational modeling procedure was applied to estimate the use of abstraction and exemplar strategies during category learning. We tested healthy, male participants who underwent either the socially evaluated cold pressor test or a nonstressful control procedure before they learned to categorize typical members and exceptions based on feedback. The groups did not differ significantly in their categorization accuracy or use of categorization strategies. In the EEG, however, stressed participants revealed elevated theta power specifically during the learning of exceptions, whereas the theta power during the learning of typical members did not differ between the groups. Elevated frontal theta power may reflect an increased involvement of medial prefrontal areas in the learning of exceptions under stress.
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27
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Quent JA, McCullough AM, Sazma M, Wolf OT, Yonelinas AP. Reward anticipation modulates the effect of stress-related increases in cortisol on episodic memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 147:65-73. [PMID: 29175514 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 10/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
When acute stress is experienced shortly after an event is encoded into memory, this can slow the forgetting of the study event, which is thought to reflect the effect of cortisol on consolidation. In addition, when events are encoded under conditions of high reward they tend to be remembered better than those encoded under non-rewarding conditions, and these effects are thought to reflect the operation of the dopaminergic reward system. Although both modulatory systems are believed to impact the medial temporal lobe regions critical for episodic memory, the manner, and even the extent, to which these two systems interact is currently unknown. To address this question in the current study, participants encoded words under reward or non-reward conditions, then one half of the participants were stressed using the social evaluation cold pressor task and the other half completed a non-stress control task. After a two-hour delay, all participants received a free recall and recognition memory test. There were no significant effects of stress or reward on overall memory performance. However, for the non-reward items, increases in stress-related cortisol in stressed participants were related to increases in recall and increases in recollection-based recognition responses. In contrast, for the reward items, increases in stress-related cortisol were not related to increases in memory performance. The results indicate that the stress and the reward systems interact in the way they impact episodic memory. The results are consistent with tag and capture models in the sense that cortisol reactivity can only affect non-reward items because plasticity-related products are already provided by reward anticipation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörn A Quent
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom.
| | - Andrew M McCullough
- University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Matt Sazma
- University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Andrew P Yonelinas
- University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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28
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Corbett B, Weinberg L, Duarte A. The effect of mild acute stress during memory consolidation on emotional recognition memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 145:34-44. [PMID: 28838881 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Stress during consolidation improves recognition memory performance. Generally, this memory benefit is greater for emotionally arousing stimuli than neutral stimuli. The strength of the stressor also plays a role in memory performance, with memory performance improving up to a moderate level of stress and thereafter worsening. As our daily stressors are generally minimal in strength, we chose to induce mild acute stress to determine its effect on memory performance. In the current study, we investigated if mild acute stress during consolidation improves memory performance for emotionally arousing images. To investigate this, we had participants encode highly arousing negative, minimally arousing negative, and neutral images. We induced stress using the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) in half of the participants and a control task to the other half of the participants directly after encoding (i.e. during consolidation) and tested recognition 48h later. We found no difference in memory performance between the stress and control group. We found a graded pattern among confidence, with responders in the stress group having the least amount of confidence in their hits and controls having the most. Across groups, we found highly arousing negative images were better remembered than minimally arousing negative or neutral images. Although stress did not affect memory accuracy, responders, as defined by cortisol reactivity, were less confident in their decisions. Our results suggest that the daily stressors humans experience, regardless of their emotional affect, do not have adverse effects on memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Corbett
- School of Psychology, Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Georgia Institute of Technology, 831 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA.
| | - Lisa Weinberg
- School of Psychology, Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Georgia Institute of Technology, 831 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA
| | - Audrey Duarte
- School of Psychology, Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Georgia Institute of Technology, 831 Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, USA
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29
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Goldfarb EV, Mendelevich Y, Phelps EA. Acute Stress Time-dependently Modulates Multiple Memory Systems. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:1877-1894. [PMID: 28699809 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress has been shown to modulate the engagement of different memory systems, leading to preferential expression of stimulus-response (SR) rather than episodic context memory when both types of memory can be used. However, questions remain regarding the cognitive mechanism that underlies this bias in humans-specifically, how each form of memory is individually influenced by stress in order for SR memory to be dominant. Here we separately measured context and SR memory and investigated how each was influenced by acute stress after learning (Experiment 1) and before retrieval (Experiment 2). We found that postlearning stress, in tandem with increased adrenergic activity during learning, impaired consolidation of context memory and led to preferential expression of SR rather than context memory. Preretrieval stress also impaired context memory, albeit transiently. Neither postlearning nor preretrieval stress changed the expression of SR memory. However, individual differences in cortisol reactivity immediately after learning were associated with variability in initial SR learning. These results reveal novel cognitive mechanisms by which stress can modulate multiple memory systems.
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30
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Wang B, Ren Y. Effect of post-encoding emotion on recollection and familiarity for pictures. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2017; 70:1236-1253. [DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2016.1178311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Although prior studies have examined the effect of post-encoding emotional arousal on recognition memory for words, it is unknown whether the enhancement effect observed on words generalizes to pictures. Furthermore, prior studies using words have showed that the effect of emotional arousal can be modulated by stimuli valence and delay in emotion induction, but it is unclear whether such modulation can extend to pictures and whether other factors such as encoding method (incidental vs. intentional encoding) can be modulatory. Five experiments were conducted to answer these questions. In Experiment 1, participants encoded a list of neutral and negative pictures and then watched a 3-min neutral or negative video. The delayed test showed that negative arousal impaired recollection regardless of picture valence but had no effect on familiarity. Experiment 2 replicated the above findings. Experiment 3 was similar to Experiment 1 except that participants watched a 3-min neutral, negative, or positive video and conducted free recall before the recognition test. Unlike the prior two experiments, the impairment effect of negative arousal disappeared. Experiment 4, where the free recall task was eliminated, replicated the results from Experiment 3. Experiment 5 replicated Experiments 1 and 2 and further showed that the impairment effects of negative arousal could be modulated by delay in emotion induction but not by encoding method or stimuli valence. Taken together, the current study suggests that the enhancement effect observed on words may not generalize to pictures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- Department of Psychology, School of
Social Development, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing,
China
| | - Yanju Ren
- Department of Psychology, Shandong
Normal University, Jinan, China
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31
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Shields GS, Sazma MA, McCullough AM, Yonelinas AP. The effects of acute stress on episodic memory: A meta-analysis and integrative review. Psychol Bull 2017; 143:636-675. [PMID: 28368148 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 248] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of research has indicated that acute stress can critically impact memory. However, there are a number of inconsistencies in the literature, and important questions remain regarding the conditions under which stress effects emerge as well as basic questions about how stress impacts different phases of memory. In this meta-analysis, we examined 113 independent studies in humans with 6,216 participants that explored effects of stress on encoding, postencoding, retrieval, or postreactivation phases of episodic memory. The results indicated that when stress occurred prior to or during encoding it impaired memory, unless both the delay between the stressor and encoding was very short and the study materials were directly related to the stressor, in which case stress improved encoding. In contrast, postencoding stress improved memory unless the stressor occurred in a different physical context than the study materials. When stress occurred just prior to or during retrieval, memory was impaired, and these effects were larger for emotionally valenced materials than neutral materials. Although stress consistently increased cortisol, the magnitude of the cortisol response was not related to the effects of stress on memory. Nonetheless, the effects of stress on memory were generally reduced in magnitude for women taking hormonal contraceptives. These analyses indicate that stress disrupts some episodic memory processes while enhancing others, and that the effects of stress are modulated by a number of critical factors. These results provide important constraints on current theories of stress and memory, and point to new questions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record
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32
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Goldfarb EV, Shields GS, Daw ND, Slavich GM, Phelps EA. Low lifetime stress exposure is associated with reduced stimulus-response memory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 24:162-168. [PMID: 28298555 PMCID: PMC5362698 DOI: 10.1101/lm.045179.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to stress throughout life can cumulatively influence later health, even among young adults. The negative effects of high cumulative stress exposure are well-known, and a shift from episodic to stimulus–response memory has been proposed to underlie forms of psychopathology that are related to high lifetime stress. At the other extreme, effects of very low stress exposure are mixed, with some studies reporting that low stress leads to better outcomes, while others demonstrate that low stress is associated with diminished resilience and negative outcomes. However, the influence of very low lifetime stress exposure on episodic and stimulus–response memory is unknown. Here we use a lifetime stress assessment system (STRAIN) to assess cumulative lifetime stress exposure and measure memory performance in young adults reporting very low and moderate levels of lifetime stress exposure. Relative to moderate levels of stress, very low levels of lifetime stress were associated with reduced use and retention (24 h later) of stimulus–response (SR) associations, and a higher likelihood of using context memory. Further, computational modeling revealed that participants with low levels of stress exhibited worse expression of memory for SR associations than those with moderate stress. These results demonstrate that very low levels of stress exposure can have negative effects on cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Nathaniel D Daw
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - George M Slavich
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Phelps
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.,Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York 10962, USA
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33
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Ritchey M, McCullough AM, Ranganath C, Yonelinas AP. Stress as a mnemonic filter: Interactions between medial temporal lobe encoding processes and post-encoding stress. Hippocampus 2016; 27:77-88. [PMID: 27774683 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Acute stress has been shown to modulate memory for recently learned information, an effect attributed to the influence of stress hormones on medial temporal lobe (MTL) consolidation processes. However, little is known about which memories will be affected when stress follows encoding. One possibility is that stress interacts with encoding processes to selectively protect memories that had elicited responses in the hippocampus and amygdala, two MTL structures important for memory formation. There is limited evidence for interactions between encoding processes and consolidation effects in humans, but recent studies of consolidation in rodents have emphasized the importance of encoding "tags" for determining the impact of consolidation manipulations on memory. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans to test the hypothesis that the effects of post-encoding stress depend on MTL processes observed during encoding. We found that changes in stress hormone levels were associated with an increase in the contingency of memory outcomes on hippocampal and amygdala encoding responses. That is, for participants showing high cortisol reactivity, memories became more dependent on MTL activity observed during encoding, thereby shifting the distribution of recollected events toward those that had elicited relatively high activation. Surprisingly, this effect was generally larger for neutral, compared to emotionally negative, memories. The results suggest that stress does not uniformly enhance memory, but instead selectively preserves memories tagged during encoding, effectively acting as mnemonic filter. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen Ritchey
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.,Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California
| | | | - Charan Ranganath
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California
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Gagnon SA, Wagner AD. Acute stress and episodic memory retrieval: neurobiological mechanisms and behavioral consequences. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1369:55-75. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anthony D. Wagner
- Department of Psychology
- Neurosciences Program; Stanford University; Stanford California
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