Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
10:38
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Paradoxical facilitation of working memory after basolateral amygdala damage
Barak Morgan1, David Terburg, Helena B Thornton
1MRC Medical Imaging Research Unit, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. barak.morgan@uct.ac.za
Plos One
|June 21, 2012
Summary
Individuals with bilateral basolateral amygdala damage show enhanced working memory capacity. This suggests the amygdala may normally inhibit cognitive functions, challenging previous assumptions about its role in working memory.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Evolutionary Psychology
Background:
- Working memory is crucial for higher cognitive functions and is linked to prefrontal cortex activity.
- Prefrontal cortex's role in suppressing amygdala signals during emotional arousal is hypothesized to be key for human cognitive evolution.
- Previous fMRI studies suggest amygdala activity interferes with working memory, but causality and specific sub-regions remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal role of the basolateral amygdala in working memory.
- To determine if damage to the basolateral amygdala affects working memory performance.
- To explore the functional relationship between amygdala sub-regions and working memory.
Main Methods:
- Studied three female subjects with bilateral basolateral amygdala calcification due to Urbach-Wiethe Disease and ten healthy controls.
- Assessed lesion extent and amygdala functionality using structural and functional MRI.
- Measured working memory using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III digit span forward task and controlled for anxiety levels.
Main Results:
- Structural MRI confirmed selective bilateral basolateral amygdala damage in patients.
- Functional MRI indicated intact functionality in remaining amygdala sub-regions.
- Urbach-Wiethe Disease subjects demonstrated significant working memory facilitation compared to controls, with no group differences in anxiety.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a paradoxical facilitatory effect of basolateral amygdala damage on working memory.
- Results support a 'cooperation through competition' network model, implying the amygdala may normally exert an inhibitory influence on working memory.
- Lesion studies offer unique causal insights into brain-behavior relationships that fMRI may not fully capture.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:16Role 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...
One of the...
01:14Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the cerebellum's...
01:15Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System
The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...
01:24Working Memory
Working memory refers to a combination of components, including short-term memory and attention, that allow an individual to hold information temporarily as we perform cognitive tasks. It is an essential cognitive function that enables the execution of complex tasks such as problem-solving, comprehension, and reasoning. Unlike short-term memory, which simply involves the storage of information for a brief period, working memory involves the active manipulation and processing of this information.
01:04Social Facilitation
Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
01:19Role of Hippocampus in Memory
The hippocampus, a critical brain structure, plays an essential role in memory processing, particularly in the formation and retrieval of memory. This small, seahorse-shaped region is located within the medial temporal lobe, with one hippocampus in each brain hemisphere. Experimental studies involving lesions in the hippocampi of rats have demonstrated significant impairments in tasks such as object recognition and maze navigation, indicating the hippocampus involvement in both recognition and...