Emotional perception and memory in amnesia

The authors examined whether perception of emotional stimuli is normal in amnesia and whether emotional arousal has the same enhancing effect on memory in amnesic patients as it has in healthy controls. Forty standardized color pictures were presented while participants rated each picture according to emotional intensity (arousal) and pleasantness (valence). An immediate free-recall test was given for the pictures, followed by a yes-no recognition test. Arousal and valence ratings were highly similar among the amnesic patients and controls. Emotional arousal (regardless of valence) enhanced both recall and recognition of the pictures, and this enhancement was proportional for amnesic patients and controls. Results suggest that emotional perception and the enhancing effect of emotional arousal on memory are intact in amnesia.