Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (Jan 2012)

Arousal modulates activity in the medial temporal lobe during a short-term relational memory task.

  • Christian eThoresen,
  • Jimmy eJensen,
  • Jimmy eJensen,
  • Jimmy eJensen,
  • Niels Petter B Sigvartsen,
  • Ingeborg eBolstad,
  • Andres eServer,
  • Per H Nakstad,
  • Ole A Andreassen,
  • Ole A Andreassen,
  • Tor eEndestad

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2011.00177
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5

Abstract

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This study investigated the effect of arousal on short-term relational memory and its underlying cortical network. Seventeen healthy participants performed a picture by location, short-term relational memory task using emotional pictures. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to measure the BOLD signal relative to task. Subjects’ own ratings of the pictures were used to obtain subjective arousal ratings. Subjective arousal was found to have a dose-dependent effect on activations in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and in higher order visual areas. Serial position analyses showed that high arousal trials produced a stronger primacy and recency effect than low arousal trials. The results indicate that short-term relational memory may be facilitated by arousal and that this may be modulated by a dose-response function in arousal-driven neuronal regions.

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