Cerebral Cortex Advance Access originally published online on March 28, 2008
Cerebral Cortex 2008 18(11):2494-2504; doi:10.1093/cercor/bhm262
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Role of Amygdala Connectivity in the Persistence of Emotional Memories Over Time: An Event-Related fMRI Investigation
1 Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, 2 Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, 3 Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA, 4 Current address: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G3 Canada
Address correspondence to Maureen Ritchey, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Box 90999, LSRC Building, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Email: maureen.ritchey{at}duke.edu.
According to the consolidation hypothesis, enhanced memory for emotional information reflects the modulatory effect of the amygdala on the medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system during consolidation. Although there is evidence that amygdala–MTL connectivity enhances memory for emotional stimuli, it remains unclear whether this enhancement increases over time, as consolidation processes unfold. To investigate this, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure encoding activity predicting memory for emotionally negative and neutral pictures after short (20-min) versus long (1-week) delays. Memory measures distinguished between vivid remembering (recollection) and feelings of knowing (familiarity). Consistent with the consolidation hypothesis, the persistence of recollection over time (long divided by short) was greater for emotional than neutral pictures. Activity in the amygdala predicted subsequent memory to a greater extent for emotional than neutral pictures. Although this advantage did not vary with delay, the contribution of amygdala–MTL connectivity to subsequent memory for emotional items increased over time. Moreover, both this increase in connectivity and amygdala activity itself were correlated with individual differences in recollection persistence for emotional but not neutral pictures. These results suggest that the amygdala and its connectivity with the MTL are critical to sustaining emotional memories over time, consistent with the consolidation hypothesis.
Key Words: affect • arousal • connectivity • consolidation • emotional memory
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