Higher post-encoding cortisol benefits the selective consolidation of emotional aspects of memory.

ABSTRACT: Emotional experiences create durable memory traces in the brain, especially when these memories are consolidated in the presence of stress hormones such as cortisol. Although some research suggests cortisol elevation can increase long-term memory for emotional relative to neutral content, the impact of stress and cortisol on the consolidation of emotional and neutral aspects of memories when they are part of the same experience remains unknown. Here, after encoding complex scenes consisting of negative or neutral objects placed on neutral backgrounds, participants were exposed to a psychosocial stressor (or matched control condition) in order to examine the impact of stress and cortisol on early consolidation processes. The next day, once cortisol levels had returned to baseline, specific

SUBMITTER: Cunningham TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8076090 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature