Memories of emotionally arousing events tend to endure longer than other memories. This review compiles findings from several decades of research investigating the role of the amygdala in modulating memories of emotional experiences. Episodic memory is a kind of declarative memory that depends upon the hippocampus, and studies suggest that the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) modulates episodic memory consolidation through interactions with the hippocampus. Although many studies in rodents and imaging studies in humans indicate that the amygdala modulates memory consolidation and plasticity processes in the hippocampus, the anatomical pathways through which the amygdala affects hippocampal regions that are important for episodic memories were unresolved until recent optogenetic advances made it possible to visualize and manipulate specific BLA efferent pathways during memory consolidation. Findings indicate that the BLA influences hippocampal-dependent memories, as well as synaptic plasticity, histone modifications, gene expression, and translation of synaptic plasticity associated proteins in the hippocampus. More recent findings from optogenetic studies suggest that the BLA modulates spatial memory via projections to the medial entorhinal cortex, and that the frequency of activity in this pathway is a critical element of this modulation.

情绪激动事件的记忆往往比其他记忆持久。这篇综述汇集了几十年来调查杏仁核在调节情绪体验记忆中的作用的研究结果。情景记忆是一种依赖于海马体的陈述性记忆，研究表明杏仁核基底外侧复合体（BLA）通过与海马体的相互作用调节情景记忆巩固。尽管许多啮齿动物研究和人类影像学研究表明杏仁核调节海马体的记忆巩固和可塑性过程，直到最近的光遗传学进展使得在记忆巩固过程中可视化和操纵特定的 BLA 传出通路成为可能，杏仁核影响对情节记忆很重要的海马区域的解剖通路才得以解决。研究结果表明，BLA 影响海马依赖性记忆，以及海马中突触可塑性、组蛋白修饰、基因表达和突触可塑性相关蛋白的翻译。光遗传学研究的最新发现表明，BLA 通过投射到内侧内嗅皮层来调节空间记忆，并且该途径中的活动频率是这种调节的关键因素。以及海马突触可塑性、组蛋白修饰、基因表达和突触可塑性相关蛋白的翻译。光遗传学研究的最新发现表明，BLA 通过投射到内侧内嗅皮层来调节空间记忆，并且该途径中的活动频率是这种调节的关键因素。以及海马突触可塑性、组蛋白修饰、基因表达和突触可塑性相关蛋白的翻译。光遗传学研究的最新发现表明，BLA 通过投射到内侧内嗅皮层来调节空间记忆，并且该途径中的活动频率是这种调节的关键因素。