Hippocampal mechanisms support cortisol-induced memory enhancements
Brynn E Sherman1, Bailey B Harris2, Nicholas B Turk-Browne3,4
1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|February 17, 2023
Summary
Stress and cortisol enhance emotional memory by altering hippocampal function. The hippocampus supports memory encoding under stress by modifying how information is represented, aiding recall of emotional events.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Stress often enhances memory for emotionally significant information.
- However, stress hormones like cortisol can impair the hippocampus, crucial for memory.
- This creates a conflict regarding the hippocampus's role in stress-related memory enhancement.
Approach:
- Combined behavioral memory tests, high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and cortisol manipulation (hydrocortisone).
- Utilized a within-participant, double-blinded design for robust data.
- Investigated hippocampal function and connectivity under varying cortisol levels.
Key Points:
- Hydrocortisone increased functional connectivity within hippocampal subregions.
- This enhanced connectivity predicted better memory for emotional information.
- Cortisol shifted hippocampal memory representations from distinctiveness to relative integration.
Conclusions:
- The human hippocampus supports enhanced emotional memory encoding under stress.
- Cortisol modifies hippocampal function and neural representations to facilitate this.
- Provides novel insights into the neural mechanisms of stress and memory.
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