Relationship between heart rate and emotional memory in subjects with a past history of post-traumatic stress disorder
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Mitsue Nagamine1, Yutaka Matsuoka, Etsuro Mori
1Division of Adult Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Considerable evidence suggests that the adrenergic system plays an important role in the biological mechanism of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the present pilot study the association between heart rate (HR) recorded prior to slide viewing and long-term emotional memory was compared between human subjects with a past history of PTSD (n = 6) and healthy women controls (n = 12). The correlation between HR during the anticipatory period and emotional memory was significant for the PTSD group (r = 0.93, P < 0.001) but not for the control group (r = 0.21, NS). The adrenergic reaction appears to be associated with emotional memory, which may be strengthened in subjects with a past history of PTSD.
Related Concept Videos
Traumatic Memory
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...
Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Psychological Responses to Stress
Role of Amygdala in Memory
One of the...
