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Cortisol variation in humans affects memory for emotionally laden and neutral information
Heather C Abercrombie1, Ned H Kalin, Marchell E Thurow
1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA. abercrombie@psyphw.psych.wisc.edu
Behavioral Neuroscience
|June 14, 2003
Summary
Cortisol administration improved explicit memory recall in men. Acute cortisol elevations benefited memory for emotional and neutral information, suggesting broad effects on human memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Cortisol, a stress hormone, plays a role in memory consolidation.
- Previous research suggests cortisol's impact on memory may be dose-dependent and context-specific.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of acute cortisol administration on emotional and neutral memory in men.
- To determine if cortisol influences free-recall and recognition memory differently.
Main Methods:
- 90 male participants received placebo, 20 mg, or 40 mg of cortisol orally.
- Participants were presented with emotionally arousing and neutral stimuli.
- Memory performance was assessed using free-recall and recognition tasks at different time points.
Main Results:
- Cortisol administration reduced errors in free-recall tasks shortly after stimulus presentation.
- Recognition memory showed an inverted-U trend two days later, with the 20 mg group showing facilitation for negative and neutral information.
- Cortisol's effects on memory did not significantly differ between emotional and neutral information.
Conclusions:
- Acute cortisol elevations demonstrate beneficial effects on explicit memory in humans.
- The findings suggest cortisol impacts memory regardless of emotional content.
- Cortisol's influence on memory may exhibit a biphasic effect over time.