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Systems mediating acute glucocorticoid effects on memory consolidation and retrieval
1Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3800, USA. broozend@uci.edu
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|December 9, 2003
Summary
Glucocorticoids enhance memory consolidation via the basolateral amygdala (BLA) but impair memory retrieval, especially when acting on the hippocampus. The BLA is crucial for both processes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Glucocorticoid hormones, released during stress, impact cognitive functions.
- Understanding the precise effects of glucocorticoids on memory phases is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on the acute effects of glucocorticoids on memory consolidation and retrieval in rats.
- To elucidate the neural pathways involved in these effects.
Main Methods:
- Review of experimental findings from the authors' laboratory.
- Focus on post-training interventions and brain region-specific manipulations.
Main Results:
- Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation enhances memory consolidation dose-dependently, involving the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) and noradrenergic pathways.
- Memory retrieval is impaired by high glucocorticoid levels or GR agonists in the hippocampus.
- The BLA is essential for glucocorticoid effects on retrieval, though not a direct site of action.
Conclusions:
- Glucocorticoids differentially affect memory consolidation and retrieval.
- The BLA acts as a key modulator in the neural system regulating stress and glucocorticoid impacts on memory.