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Wang J, Lapate RC. Emotional state dynamics impacts temporal memory. Cogn Emot 2024:1-20. [PMID: 38898587 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2024.2349326] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Emotional fluctuations are ubiquitous in everyday life, but precisely how they sculpt the temporal organisation of memories remains unclear. Here, we designed a novel task - the Emotion Boundary Task - wherein participants viewed sequences of negative and neutral images surrounded by a colour border. We manipulated perceptual context (border colour), emotional-picture valence, as well as the direction of emotional-valence shifts (i.e., shifts from neutral-to-negative and negative-to-neutral events) to create events with a shared perceptual and/or emotional context. We measured memory for temporal order and temporal distances for images processed within and across events. Negative images processed within events were remembered as closer in time compared to neutral ones. In contrast, temporal distances were remembered as longer for images spanning neutral-to-negative shifts - suggesting temporal dilation in memory with the onset of a negative event following a previously-neutral state. The extent of negative-picture induced temporal dilation in memory correlated with dispositional negativity across individuals. Lastly, temporal order memory was enhanced for recently-presented negative (versus neutral) images. These findings suggest that emotional-state dynamics matters when considering emotion-temporal memory interactions: While persistent negative events may compress subjectively remembered time, dynamic shifts from neutral-to-negative events produce temporal dilation in memory, with implications for adaptive emotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Wang
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Regina C Lapate
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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2
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Fetterhoff D, Costa M, Hellerstedt R, Johannessen R, Imbach L, Sarnthein J, Strange BA. Neuronal population representation of human emotional memory. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114071. [PMID: 38592973 PMCID: PMC11063625 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding how emotional processing modulates learning and memory is crucial for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by emotional memory dysfunction. We investigate how human medial temporal lobe (MTL) neurons support emotional memory by recording spiking activity from the hippocampus, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex during encoding and recognition sessions of an emotional memory task in patients with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. Our findings reveal distinct representations for both remembered compared to forgotten and emotional compared to neutral scenes in single units and MTL population spiking activity. Additionally, we demonstrate that a distributed network of human MTL neurons exhibiting mixed selectivity on a single-unit level collectively processes emotion and memory as a network, with a small percentage of neurons responding conjointly to emotion and memory. Analyzing spiking activity enables a detailed understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying emotional memory and could provide insights into how emotion alters memory during healthy and maladaptive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin Fetterhoff
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Manuela Costa
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Robin Hellerstedt
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rebecca Johannessen
- Swiss Epilepsy Center, Klinik Lengg, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Imbach
- Swiss Epilepsy Center, Klinik Lengg, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Sarnthein
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bryan A Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain; Reina Sofia Centre for Alzheimer's Research, Madrid, Spain
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Wang J, Lapate RC. Emotional state dynamics impacts temporal memory. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.07.25.550412. [PMID: 38464043 PMCID: PMC10925226 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.25.550412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Emotional fluctuations are ubiquitous in everyday life, but precisely how they sculpt the temporal organization of memories remains unclear. Here, we designed a novel task-the Emotion Boundary Task-wherein participants viewed sequences of negative and neutral images surrounded by a color border. We manipulated perceptual context (border color), emotional valence, as well as the direction of emotional-valence shifts (i.e., shifts from neutral-to-negative and negative-to-neutral events) to create encoding events comprised of image sequences with a shared perceptual and/or emotional context. We measured memory for temporal order and subjectively remembered temporal distances for images processed within and across events. Negative images processed within events were remembered as closer in time compared to neutral ones. In contrast, temporal distance was remembered as longer for images spanning neutral-to-negative shifts-suggesting temporal dilation in memory with the onset of a negative event following a previously-neutral state. The extent of this negative-picture induced temporal dilation in memory correlated with dispositional negativity across individuals. Lastly, temporal order memory was enhanced for recently presented negative (compared to neutral) images. These findings suggest that emotional-state dynamics matters when considering emotion-temporal memory interactions: While persistent negative events may compress subjectively remembered time, dynamic shifts from neutral to negative events produce temporal dilation in memory, which may be relevant for adaptive emotional functioning.
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4
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Sladky R, Kargl D, Haubensak W, Lamm C. An active inference perspective for the amygdala complex. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:223-236. [PMID: 38103984 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a heterogeneous network of subcortical nuclei with central importance in cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Various experimental designs in human psychology and animal model research have mapped multiple conceptual frameworks (e.g., valence/salience and decision making) to ever more refined amygdala circuitry. However, these predominantly bottom up-driven accounts often rely on interpretations tailored to a specific phenomenon, thus preventing comprehensive and integrative theories. We argue here that an active inference model of amygdala function could unify these fractionated approaches into an overarching framework for clearer empirical predictions and mechanistic interpretations. This framework embeds top-down predictive models, informed by prior knowledge and belief updating, within a dynamical system distributed across amygdala circuits in which self-regulation is implemented by continuously tracking environmental and homeostatic demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Sladky
- Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Dominic Kargl
- Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 4, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Wulf Haubensak
- Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 4, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus Vienna Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
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5
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Sambuco N, Bradley MM. Amygdala and hippocampal activation in emotional imagery. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1532:7-9. [PMID: 38167778 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Sambuco
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Bari, Italy
| | - Margaret M Bradley
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Antony JW, Van Dam J, Massey JR, Barnett AJ, Bennion KA. Long-term, multi-event surprise correlates with enhanced autobiographical memory. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:2152-2168. [PMID: 37322234 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01631-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Neurobiological and psychological models of learning emphasize the importance of prediction errors (surprises) for memory formation. This relationship has been shown for individual momentary surprising events; however, it is less clear whether surprise that unfolds across multiple events and timescales is also linked with better memory of those events. We asked basketball fans about their most positive and negative autobiographical memories of individual plays, games and seasons, allowing surprise measurements spanning seconds, hours and months. We used advanced analytics on National Basketball Association play-by-play data and betting odds spanning 17 seasons, more than 22,000 games and more than 5.6 million plays to compute and align the estimated surprise value of each memory. We found that surprising events were associated with better recall of positive memories on the scale of seconds and months and negative memories across all three timescales. Game and season memories could not be explained by surprise at shorter timescales, suggesting that long-term, multi-event surprise correlates with memory. These results expand notions of surprise in models of learning and reinforce its relevance in real-world domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Antony
- Department of Psychology and Child Development, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA.
| | - Jacob Van Dam
- Department of Psychology and Child Development, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
| | - Jarett R Massey
- Department of Psychology and Child Development, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
| | | | - Kelly A Bennion
- Department of Psychology and Child Development, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
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Riegel M, Granja D, Amer T, Vuilleumier P, Rimmele U. Opposite effects of emotion and event segmentation on temporal order memory and object-context binding. Cogn Emot 2023:1-19. [PMID: 37882239 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2023.2270195] [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: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Our daily lives unfold continuously, yet our memories are organised into distinct events, situated in a specific context of space and time, and chunked when this context changes (at event boundaries). Previous research showed that this process, termed event segmentation, enhances object-context binding but impairs temporal order memory. Physiologically, peaks in pupil dilation index event segmentation, similar to emotion-induced bursts of autonomic arousal. Emotional arousal also modulates object-context binding and temporal order memory. Yet, these two critical factors have not been systematically studied together. To address this gap, we ran a behavioural experiment using a paradigm validated to study event segmentation and extended it with emotion manipulation. During encoding, we sequentially presented greyscale objects embedded in coloured frames (colour changes defining events), with a neutral or aversive sound. During retrieval, we tested participants' memory of temporal order memory and object-colour binding. We found opposite effects of emotion and event segmentation on episodic memory. While event segmentation enhanced object-context binding, emotion impaired it. On the contrary, event segmentation impaired temporal order memory, but emotion enhanced it. These findings increase our understanding of episodic memory organisation in laboratory settings, and potentially in real life with perceptual changes and emotion fluctuations constantly interacting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Riegel
- Emotion and Memory Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center of Affective Sciences (CISA), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability (CIGEV), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Granja
- Emotion and Memory Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability (CIGEV), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Neurocenter, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tarek Amer
- Psychology Department, University of Victoria, BC, Victoria, Canada
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Swiss Center of Affective Sciences (CISA), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Neurocenter, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Rimmele
- Emotion and Memory Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss Center of Affective Sciences (CISA), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability (CIGEV), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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McClay M, Sachs ME, Clewett D. Dynamic emotional states shape the episodic structure of memory. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6533. [PMID: 37848429 PMCID: PMC10582075 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42241-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Human emotions fluctuate over time. However, it is unclear how these shifting emotional states influence the organization of episodic memory. Here, we examine how emotion dynamics transform experiences into memorable events. Using custom musical pieces and a dynamic emotion-tracking tool to elicit and measure temporal fluctuations in felt valence and arousal, our results demonstrate that memory is organized around emotional states. While listening to music, fluctuations between different emotional valences bias temporal encoding process toward memory integration or separation. Whereas a large absolute or negative shift in valence helps segment memories into episodes, a positive emotional shift binds sequential representations together. Both discrete and dynamic shifts in music-evoked valence and arousal also enhance delayed item and temporal source memory for concurrent neutral items, signaling the beginning of new emotional events. These findings are in line with the idea that the rise and fall of emotions can sculpt unfolding experiences into memories of meaningful events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason McClay
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matthew E Sachs
- Columbia University, Department of Psychology, New York City, NY, USA
- Columbia University, Center for Science and Society, New York City, NY, USA
| | - David Clewett
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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