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Bogdan PC, Dolcos S, Federmeier KD, Lleras A, Schwarb H, Dolcos F. Emotional dissociations in temporal associations: opposing effects of arousal on memory for details surrounding unpleasant events. Cogn Emot 2023:1-15. [PMID: 37988031 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2023.2270196] [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: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Research targeting emotion's impact on relational episodic memory has largely focused on spatial aspects, but less is known about emotion's impact on memory for an event's temporal associations. The present research investigated this topic. Participants viewed a series of interspersed negative and neutral images with instructions to create stories linking successive images. Later, participants performed a surprise memory test, which measured temporal associations between pairs of consecutive pictures where one picture was negative and one was neutral. Analyses focused on how the order of negative and neutral images during encoding influenced retrieval accuracy. Converging results from a discovery study (N = 72) and pre-registered replication study (N = 150) revealed a "forward-favouring" effect of emotion in temporal memory encoding: Participants encoded associations between negative stimuli and subsequent neutral stimuli more strongly than associations between negative stimuli and preceding neutral stimuli. This finding may reflect a novel trade-off regarding emotion's effects on memory and is relevant for understanding affective disorders, as key clinical symptoms can be conceptualised as maladaptive memory retrieval of temporal details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul C Bogdan
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Sanda Dolcos
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Kara D Federmeier
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Alejandro Lleras
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Hillary Schwarb
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Florin Dolcos
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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Mathew AS, Lotfi S, Bennett KP, Larsen SE, Dean C, Larson CL, Lee HJ. Association between spatial working memory and Re-experiencing symptoms in PTSD. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2022; 75:101714. [PMID: 34906826 PMCID: PMC9173718 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2021.101714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Few studies have evaluated the link between working memory (WM) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Further, it is unknown whether this relationship is accounted for by other relevant variables including negative affect, emotional dysregulation, or general non-WM-related cognitive control deficits, which are associated with PTSD. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which a computerized WM task could predict PTSD symptomology incrementally beyond the contribution of other relevant variables associated with PTSD. METHODS Thirty veterans were eligible to complete emotional symptom questionnaires, a heart-rate variability measure, and computerized tasks (i.e., emotional Stroop and automated complex span tasks). A three-stage hierarchical regression was conducted with the PCL-5 total score and symptom clusters (i.e., re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative cognition/mood) as the dependent variable. RESULTS Results revealed that only the re-experiencing symptom cluster was significantly predicted by executive, verbal, and visuospatial WM tasks, which explained an additional 29.7% of the variance over and above other relevant variables. Most notably, the visuospatial task was the only WM task that significantly explained PCL-5 re-experiencing symptoms. LIMITATIONS This study was based on a small sample of veterans with PTSD and causality cannot be determined with this cross-sectional study. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results suggest that deficits in visuospatial WM are significantly associated with PTSD re-experiencing symptoms after controlling for other relevant variables. Further research should evaluate whether an intervention to improve visuospatial WM capacity can be implemented to reduce re-experiencing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel S Mathew
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
| | - Salahadin Lotfi
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA; Rogers Behavioral Health, Research Center and Clinical Effectiveness Department, USA
| | | | - Sadie E Larsen
- Milwaukee VA Medical Center, USA; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
| | - Caron Dean
- Milwaukee VA Medical Center, USA; Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Han-Joo Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.
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3
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Ventura-Bort C, Dolcos F, Wendt J, Wirkner J, Hamm AO, Weymar M. Item and source memory for emotional associates is mediated by different retrieval processes. Neuropsychologia 2020; 145:106606. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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4
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Katsumi Y, Dolcos S. Suppress to feel and remember less: Neural correlates of explicit and implicit emotional suppression on perception and memory. Neuropsychologia 2020; 145:106683. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Dolcos F, Katsumi Y, Bogdan PC, Shen C, Jun S, Buetti S, Lleras A, Bost KF, Weymar M, Dolcos S. The impact of focused attention on subsequent emotional recollection: A functional MRI investigation. Neuropsychologia 2020; 138:107338. [PMID: 31926178 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In his seminal works, Endel Tulving argued that functionally distinct memory systems give rise to subjective experiences of remembering and knowing (i.e., recollection- vs. familiarity-based memory, respectively). Evidence shows that emotion specifically enhances recollection, and this effect is subserved by a synergistic mechanism involving the amygdala (AMY) and hippocampus (HC). In extreme circumstances, however, uncontrolled recollection of highly distressing memories may lead to symptoms of affective disorders. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that can diminish such detrimental effects. Here, we investigated the effects of Focused Attention (FA) on emotional recollection. FA is an emotion regulation strategy that has been proven quite effective in reducing the impact of emotional responses associated with the recollection of distressing autobiographical memories, but its impact during emotional memory encoding is not known. Functional MRI and eye-tracking data were recorded while participants viewed a series of composite negative and neutral images with distinguishable foreground (FG) and background (BG) areas. Participants were instructed to focus either on the FG or BG content of the images and to rate their emotional responses. About 4 days later, participants' memory was assessed using the R/K procedure, to indicate whether they Recollected specific contextual details about the encoded images or the images were just familiar to them - i.e., participants only Knew that they saw the pictures without being able to remember specific contextual details. First, results revealed that FA was successful in decreasing memory for emotional pictures viewed in BG Focus condition, and this effect was driven by recollection-based retrieval. Second, the BG Focus condition was associated with decreased activity in the AMY, HC, and anterior parahippocampal gyrus for subsequently recollected emotional items. Moreover, correlation analyses also showed that reduced activity in these regions predicted greater reduction in emotional recollection following FA. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of FA in mitigating emotional experiences and emotional recollection associated with unpleasant emotional events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
| | - Yuta Katsumi
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Paul C Bogdan
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Chen Shen
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Suhnyoung Jun
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Simona Buetti
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Alejandro Lleras
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Kelly Freeman Bost
- Family Resiliency Center, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Mathias Weymar
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Sanda Dolcos
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.
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6
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Neural correlates of emotion-attention interactions: From perception, learning, and memory to social cognition, individual differences, and training interventions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 108:559-601. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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7
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Admon R, Vaisvaser S, Erlich N, Lin T, Shapira-Lichter I, Fruchter E, Gazit T, Hendler T. The role of the amygdala in enhanced remembrance of negative episodes and acquired negativity of related neutral cues. Biol Psychol 2018; 139:17-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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8
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Marks EH, Franklin AR, Zoellner LA. Can't get it out of my mind: A systematic review of predictors of intrusive memories of distressing events. Psychol Bull 2018; 144:584-640. [PMID: 29553763 PMCID: PMC5938103 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Intrusive memories, when persistent and distressing, are theorized to underlie a range of transdiagnostic psychological symptoms and associated impairment. However, little is known about factors predicting the development and persistence of intrusive memories. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the literature on pre-event, event-based, and post-event predictors of intrusive memories. A systematic review was conducted, searching for studies that examined intrusive, event-based memories. One hundred and six articles were identified from PsycInfo, PubMed, and Medline databases. Experimental and prospective studies with clinical (N = 14) and nonclinical (N = 92) samples were critically reviewed, provided the inclusion of an analogue stressor with nonclinical samples, and that intrusive memories frequency and/or distress were assessed as primary dependent variables. Pre-existing psychopathology and pre-event appraisal style appear to predict intrusive memories (small to medium effects), whereas trait dissociation did not predict intrusive memories. Of studies examining event-based predictors, higher data-driven processing appears to predict intrusive memories with generally large effects. Post-event negative appraisals consistently predicted intrusive memories (medium to large effects), and preliminary evidence suggests higher post-event conceptual processing predicting fewer intrusive memories. This review synthesizes findings regarding a broad range of pre-event, event-based, and post-event factors that may influence the development of intrusive memories. Methodological issues of current paradigms and the lack of emphasis on memory retrieval processes limit our understanding of what predicts intrusive memory persistence. These limitations are particularly important given that individuals typically seek treatment for distressing intrusive memories once a memory has been fully consolidated, where retrieval processes are of utmost importance. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Lange I, Goossens L, Michielse S, Bakker J, Lissek S, Papalini S, Verhagen S, Leibold N, Marcelis M, Wichers M, Lieverse R, van Os J, van Amelsvoort T, Schruers K. Behavioral pattern separation and its link to the neural mechanisms of fear generalization. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:1720-1729. [PMID: 29036532 PMCID: PMC5714173 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear generalization is a prominent feature of anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is defined as enhanced fear responding to a stimulus that bears similarities, but is not identical to a threatening stimulus. Pattern separation, a hippocampal-dependent process, is critical for stimulus discrimination; it transforms similar experiences or events into non-overlapping representations. This study is the first in humans to investigate the extent to which fear generalization relies on behavioral pattern separation abilities. Participants (N = 46) completed a behavioral task taxing pattern separation, and a neuroimaging fear conditioning and generalization paradigm. Results show an association between lower behavioral pattern separation performance and increased generalization in shock expectancy scores, but not in fear ratings. Furthermore, lower behavioral pattern separation was associated with diminished recruitment of the subcallosal cortex during presentation of generalization stimuli. This region showed functional connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Together, the data provide novel experimental evidence that pattern separation is related to generalization of threat expectancies, and reduced fear inhibition processes in frontal regions. Deficient pattern separation may be critical in overgeneralization and therefore may contribute to the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Lange
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Liesbet Goossens
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stijn Michielse
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jindra Bakker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Shmuel Lissek
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Silvia Papalini
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Verhagen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Nicole Leibold
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Machteld Marcelis
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Institute for Mental Health Care Eindhoven (GGzE), Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke Wichers
- Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (ICPE), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ritsaert Lieverse
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jim van Os
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, King's Health Partners, London, UK
| | - Therese van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Koen Schruers
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, EURON, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Faculty of Psychology, Center for Experimental and Learning Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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10
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Iordan AD, Dolcos S, Dolcos F. Brain Activity and Network Interactions in the Impact of Internal Emotional Distraction. Cereb Cortex 2018; 29:2607-2623. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A D Iordan
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Current affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - S Dolcos
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - F Dolcos
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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11
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Dolcos F, Katsumi Y, Weymar M, Moore M, Tsukiura T, Dolcos S. Emerging Directions in Emotional Episodic Memory. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1867. [PMID: 29255432 PMCID: PMC5723010 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Building upon the existing literature on emotional memory, the present review examines emerging evidence from brain imaging investigations regarding four research directions: (1) Social Emotional Memory, (2) The Role of Emotion Regulation in the Impact of Emotion on Memory, (3) The Impact of Emotion on Associative or Relational Memory, and (4) The Role of Individual Differences in Emotional Memory. Across these four domains, available evidence demonstrates that emotion- and memory-related medial temporal lobe brain regions (amygdala and hippocampus, respectively), together with prefrontal cortical regions, play a pivotal role during both encoding and retrieval of emotional episodic memories. This evidence sheds light on the neural mechanisms of emotional memories in healthy functioning, and has important implications for understanding clinical conditions that are associated with negative affective biases in encoding and retrieving emotional memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Yuta Katsumi
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Mathias Weymar
- Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Matthew Moore
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Takashi Tsukiura
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sanda Dolcos
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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12
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Binding neutral information to emotional contexts: Brain dynamics of long-term recognition memory. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2016; 16:234-47. [PMID: 26530244 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-015-0385-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
There is abundant evidence in memory research that emotional stimuli are better remembered than neutral stimuli. However, effects of an emotionally charged context on memory for associated neutral elements is also important, particularly in trauma and stress-related disorders, where strong memories are often activated by neutral cues due to their emotional associations. In the present study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate long-term recognition memory (1-week delay) for neutral objects that had been paired with emotionally arousing or neutral scenes during encoding. Context effects were clearly evident in the ERPs: An early frontal ERP old/new difference (300-500 ms) was enhanced for objects encoded in unpleasant compared to pleasant and neutral contexts; and a late central-parietal old/new difference (400-700 ms) was observed for objects paired with both pleasant and unpleasant contexts but not for items paired with neutral backgrounds. Interestingly, objects encoded in emotional contexts (and novel objects) also prompted an enhanced frontal early (180-220 ms) positivity compared to objects paired with neutral scenes indicating early perceptual significance. The present data suggest that emotional--particularly unpleasant--backgrounds strengthen memory for items encountered within these contexts and engage automatic and explicit recognition processes. These results could help in understanding binding mechanisms involved in the activation of trauma-related memories by neutral cues.
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Riegel M, Wierzba M, Grabowska A, Jednoróg K, Marchewka A. Effect of emotion on memory for words and their context. J Comp Neurol 2016; 524:1636-45. [PMID: 26560407 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Revised: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Emotion influences various cognitive processes, such as memory. This beneficial or detrimental effect can be studied with verbal material, yet in this case a broad term of context has to be taken into account. The present work reviews recent literature and proposes that traditional differentiation between semantic and environmental context should be replaced with a novel conceptualization of hippocampus-dependent relational memory and item memory (related to the activations of cuneus and left amygdala). Additionally, instead of list-learning paradigms, words should be memorized in the context of sentences or stories for better control over their meaning. The recent evidence suggests that of particular importance for ecological validity in research paradigms is the presence of communicative and social context of verbal material related to such processes as theory of mind and brain activations in temporoparietal junction, posterior cingulate cortex, and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex. We propose that studying memory of verbal material within context gives a better understanding of enhancing and impairing effects of emotion as well as of the underlying brain mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Riegel
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
| | - Małgorzata Wierzba
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
| | - Anna Grabowska
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw.,University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw
| | - Katarzyna Jednoróg
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
| | - Artur Marchewka
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
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Ohkawa N, Saitoh Y, Suzuki A, Tsujimura S, Murayama E, Kosugi S, Nishizono H, Matsuo M, Takahashi Y, Nagase M, Sugimura Y, Watabe A, Kato F, Inokuchi K. Artificial Association of Pre-stored Information to Generate a Qualitatively New Memory. Cell Rep 2015; 11:261-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2014] [Revised: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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15
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Dolcos F, Wang L, Mather M. Current research and emerging directions in emotion-cognition interactions. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:83. [PMID: 25426034 PMCID: PMC4227476 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Psychology Department, Neuroscience Program, and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Lihong Wang
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mara Mather
- Davis School of Gerontology and Department of Psychology, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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16
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Dolcos F. The fast and the slow sides of cortisol's effects on emotional interference and sustained attention. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:268. [PMID: 25278824 PMCID: PMC4166312 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Psychology Department, Neuroscience Program, and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL, USA
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17
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Dolcos F, Denkova E. Current Emotion Research in Cognitive Neuroscience: Linking Enhancing and Impairing Effects of Emotion on Cognition. EMOTION REVIEW 2014. [DOI: 10.1177/1754073914536449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Emotions can have both enhancing and impairing effects on various cognitive processes, from lower (e.g., perceptual) to higher level (e.g., mnemonic and executive) processes. The present article discusses emerging brain imaging evidence linking these opposing effects of emotion, which points to overlapping and dissociable neural systems involving both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms. The link between the enhancing and impairing effects is also discussed in a clinical context, with a focus on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where these opposing effects tend to co-occur, are exacerbated, and are detrimental. Overall, the present review highlights the need to consider together enhancing and impairing effects of emotion on cognition in studies investigating emotion–cognition interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois, USA
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Shafer AT, Dolcos F. Dissociating retrieval success from incidental encoding activity during emotional memory retrieval, in the medial temporal lobe. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:177. [PMID: 24917798 PMCID: PMC4042186 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The memory-enhancing effect of emotion has been linked to the engagement of emotion- and memory-related medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions (amygdala-AMY; hippocampus-HC; parahippocampus-PHC), during both encoding and retrieval. However, recognition tasks used to investigate the neural correlates of retrieval make it difficult to distinguish MTL engagement linked to retrieval success (RS) from that linked to incidental encoding success (ES) during retrieval. This issue has been investigated for retrieval of non-emotional memories, but not for emotional memory retrieval. To address this, we used event-related functional MRI in conjunction with an emotional distraction and two episodic memory tasks (one testing memory for distracter items and the other testing memory for new/lure items presented in the first memory task). This paradigm allowed for dissociation of MTL activity specifically linked to RS from that linked to both RS and incidental ES during retrieval. There were two novel findings regarding the neural correlates of emotional memory retrieval. First, greater emotional RS was identified bilaterally in AMY, HC, and PHC. However, AMY activity was most impacted when accounting for ES activity, as only RS activity in left AMY was dissociated from ES activity during retrieval, whereas portions of HC and PHC showing greater emotional RS were largely uninvolved in ES. Second, an earlier and more anteriorly spread response (left AMY and bilateral HC, PHC) was linked to greater emotional RS activity, whereas a later and more posteriorly localized response (right posterior PHC) was linked to greater neutral RS activity. These findings shed light on MTL mechanisms subserving the memory-enhancing effect of emotion at retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea T Shafer
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Florin Dolcos
- Centre for Neuroscience, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada ; Social, Cognitive, Personality, and Emotional Neuroscience Laboratory, Psychology Department, Neuroscience Program, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign IL, USA
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Dolcos F, Iordan AD, Kragel J, Stokes J, Campbell R, McCarthy G, Cabeza R. Neural correlates of opposing effects of emotional distraction on working memory and episodic memory: an event-related FMRI investigation. Front Psychol 2013; 4:293. [PMID: 23761770 PMCID: PMC3674478 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental question in the emotional memory literature is why emotion enhances memory in some conditions but disrupts memory in other conditions. For example, separate studies have shown that emotional stimuli tend to be better remembered in long-term episodic memory (EM), whereas emotional distracters tend to impair working memory (WM) maintenance. The first goal of this study was to directly compare the neural correlates of EM enhancement (EME) and WM impairing (WMI) effects, and the second goal was to explore individual differences in these mechanisms. During event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants maintained faces in WM while being distracted by emotional or neutral pictures presented during the delay period. EM for the distracting pictures was tested after scanning and was used to identify successful encoding activity for the picture distracters. The first goal yielded two findings: (1) emotional pictures that disrupted face WM but enhanced subsequent EM were associated with increased amygdala (AMY) and hippocampal activity (ventral system) coupled with reduced dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) activity (dorsal system); (2) trials in which emotion enhanced EM without disrupting WM were associated with increased ventrolateral PFC activity. The ventral-dorsal switch can explain EME and WMI, while the ventrolateral PFC effect suggests a coping mechanism. The second goal yielded two additional findings: (3) participants who were more susceptible to WMI showed greater amygdala increases and PFC reductions; (4) AMY activity increased and dlPFC activity decreased with measures of attentional impulsivity. Taken together, these results clarify the mechanisms linking the enhancing and impairing effects of emotion on memory, and provide insights into the role of individual differences in the impact of emotional distraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florin Dolcos
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL , USA ; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL , USA ; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana, IL , USA
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Iordan AD, Dolcos S, Dolcos F. Neural signatures of the response to emotional distraction: a review of evidence from brain imaging investigations. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:200. [PMID: 23761741 PMCID: PMC3672684 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prompt responses to emotional, potentially threatening, stimuli are supported by neural mechanisms that allow for privileged access of emotional information to processing resources. The existence of these mechanisms can also make emotional stimuli potent distracters, particularly when task-irrelevant. The ability to deploy cognitive control in order to cope with emotional distraction is essential for adaptive behavior, while reduced control may lead to enhanced emotional distractibility, which is often a hallmark of affective disorders. Evidence suggests that increased susceptibility to emotional distraction is linked to changes in the processing of emotional information that affect both the basic response to and coping with emotional distraction, but the neural correlates of these phenomena are not clear. The present review discusses emerging evidence from brain imaging studies addressing these issues, and highlights the following three aspects. First, the response to emotional distraction is associated with opposing patterns of activity in a ventral "hot" affective system (HotEmo, showing increased activity) and a dorsal "cold" executive system (ColdEx, showing decreased activity). Second, coping with emotional distraction involves top-down control in order to counteract the bottom-up influence of emotional distraction, and involves interactions between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. Third, both the response to and coping with emotional distraction are influenced by individual differences affecting emotional sensitivity and distractibility, which are linked to alterations of both HotEmo and ColdEx neural systems. Collectively, the available evidence identifies specific neural signatures of the response to emotional challenge, which are fundamental to understanding the mechanisms of emotion-cognition interactions in healthy functioning, and the changes linked to individual variation in emotional distractibility and susceptibility to affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. D. Iordan
- Neuroscience Program, University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - S. Dolcos
- Psychology Department, University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - F. Dolcos
- Neuroscience Program, University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Psychology Department, University of IllinoisUrbana-Champaign, IL, USA
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