Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
Human Genetics01:28

Human Genetics

Human genetics provides a profound framework for understanding the interplay between genetic predispositions and human psychology. At the heart of this discipline lies the study of how genes influence physical traits, behaviors, and susceptibility to diseases. Each person carries a unique genetic code that subtly or significantly shapes their psychological and behavioral landscape.
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Role of Amygdala in Memory01:16

Role of Amygdala in Memory

The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure responsible for processing and storing memories, particularly those linked to emotions like fear and stress. It plays an essential role in the brain's response to emotionally significant events and often enhances memory formation by triggering stress hormone release. The amygdala is vital for encoding and retrieving memories associated with fear or stress, a process that is adaptive by helping organisms avoid dangerous situations.
One of the...
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory01:23

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

Neurotransmitters are integral to the brain's communication system, enabling neurons to transmit signals across synapses. This chemical exchange underpins various cognitive functions, including memory processes. The role of neurotransmitters in memory is multifaceted, influencing the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories through their action on different neural circuits.
 Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is critical for...
The Influence of Affect on Cognition01:29

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

Positive affect significantly influences cognitive processes, including evaluation, memory, creativity, and social judgments. Compared to negative affect, positive emotional states promote more favorable interpretations of stimuli, cognitive flexibility, and heuristic processing. These effects highlight emotions' powerful role in shaping how individuals perceive, remember, and interact with the world.Influence on Evaluation and AttributionWhen individuals experience positive affect, they are...
Emotional Expression01:26

Emotional Expression

Emotional expression encompasses how individuals convey their emotions through verbal communication and non-verbal cues. These non-verbal actions include facial expressions, body language, and physical gestures, such as frowning or smiling. Among these, facial expressions play a crucial role in emotional expression and are understood universally, indicating a biological basis for how humans communicate emotions.
Universal Facial Expressions
Psychologist Paul Ekman identified seven basic...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Improved autobiographical memory with central thalamic deep brain stimulation in traumatic brain injury.

Brain communications·2026
Same author

Phenomenology of the stream of thought: dissociable dynamic dimensions revealed through experience sampling.

Neuroscience of consciousness·2026
Same author

Beyond passivity: Depressive symptoms predict persistent active avoidance under ambiguity.

Behaviour research and therapy·2026
Same author

Maximizing fidelity of neuropsychology assessments in fully remote studies.

Applied neuropsychology. Adult·2026
Same author

When the body resonates with the pain of the other: Empathy Bodyssence in Parkinson's disease.

Neuroscience of consciousness·2026
Same author

Same emotion, different stimuli: A context-sensitive method to evoke nostalgia.

Behavior research methods·2026
Same journal

Prevalence and modulation of rat off-track head scanning on linear tracks: possible implications for representational and dynamic properties of hippocampal place cells.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same journal

Identifying networks within an fMRI multivariate searchlight analysis.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same journal

Modulating sentence comprehension in people with aphasia through anodal tDCS: A double-blind randomized cross-over study.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same journal

Deficient processing of regularity violations during visuospatial neglect: a visual mismatch negativity study.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same journal

Seeing is believing: mental imagery amplifies moral, emotional, and motivational responding to mentally constructed hypothetical events.

Neuropsychologia·2026
Same journal

From Past Recall to Future Projection: What Does Verb Tense Production Reveal About Mental Time Travel in Alzheimer's disease?

Neuropsychologia·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

Genetic differences in emotionally enhanced memory.

Rebecca M Todd1, Daniela J Palombo, Brian Levine

  • 1Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Canada. r.todd@acl.psych.toronto.edu

Neuropsychologia
|November 25, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Genetic factors influence emotional memory capacity, impacting normal memory and trauma responses. Key genetic variations affect brain activity, leading to differences in memory vividness and consolidation.

More Related Videos

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
16:08

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
16:08

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Published on: February 1, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Individual differences in emotional memory capacity are crucial for understanding normal memory and pathological responses to trauma.
  • Recent research has identified specific genetic polymorphisms influencing cognitive and affective processes related to emotional memory.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review key genetic polymorphisms associated with emotional and mnemonic processing.
  • To explore the influence of these polymorphisms on neuromodulator activity in emotion-related brain structures like the amygdala.
  • To discuss the role of genetic variants in attention, perception, memory consolidation, and individual differences in memory vividness.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of genetic polymorphisms linked to emotional memory.
  • Analysis of studies on neuromodulator activity (noradrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic) in emotion-related brain regions.
  • Examination of the relationship between genetic variants, brain activation patterns, and memory processes.
  • Inclusion of literature on general episodic memory genetic variations.

Main Results:

  • Specific genetic polymorphisms influence neuromodulator activity in the amygdala and other emotion-related brain structures.
  • These genetic variants are linked to brain activation patterns affecting attention, perception, and memory consolidation.
  • A model is proposed where noradrenergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic processes modulate emotional perception and memory consolidation.
  • Genetic variations also influence general episodic memory, not solely emotional enhancement.

Conclusions:

  • Neuromodulators play a significant role in an amygdala-driven memory system.
  • This system is characterized by involuntary, embodied, and sensorily vivid emotional memories.
  • Understanding these genetic underpinnings has implications for both normal memory function and stress-related disorders.