A neurobiological perspective on emotionally influenced, long-term memory

Evidence pertaining to the neurobiological mechanisms by which emotional arousal influences memory is reviewed. Substantial evidence from studies of both infra-human and human subjects converges on the view that the enhancing effect of emotional arousal on long-term memory formation depends on an endogenous memory modulatory mechanism consisting of, at minimum, the adrenergic system and the amygdala. Relatively unrelated to memory formation for nonemotionally arousing events, this mechanism is thought to operate during and after an emotionally stressful event, and provide a means by which long-term memory storage is ""weighted" in general proportion to the importance of the information being stored. Potential malfunctions of this normally adaptive mechanism, and some therapeutic possibilities these potential malfunctions raise, are also discussed.