The present brief review for this Special Issue summarizes some of the original research on the emotional modulation of memory. The review begins by highlighting the pioneering research from James L. McGaugh and colleagues demonstrating modulatory effects of post-training drug administration on memory consolidation, in particular the stress hormone epinephrine. The subsequent discovery of a critical role for the basolateral amygdala in emotional modulation of memory is described. Within the context of a multiple systems approach to memory focusing on selective roles for the hippocampus and dorsolateral striatum in cognitive and habit memory, the original studies indicating that robust emotional arousal can bias animals and humans toward the predominant use of habit memory are reviewed. This effect of emotional arousal on the relative use of multiple memory systems depends on a modulatory role of the basolateral amygdala. Finally, we briefly consider how an emotion-induced enhancement of dorsolateral striatal-dependent memory may be relevant to understanding maladaptive habitual behaviors in certain human psychopathologies.

本期特刊的简要回顾总结了一些关于记忆情绪调节的原始研究。该评论首先强调了 James L. McGaugh 及其同事的开创性研究，该研究证明了训练后给药对记忆巩固的调节作用，特别是应激激素肾上腺素。描述了随后发现的基底外侧杏仁核在记忆情绪调节中的关键作用。在多系统记忆方法的背景下，重点关注海马和背外侧纹状体在认知和习惯记忆中的选择性作用，回顾了表明强烈的情绪唤起可以使动物和人类偏向于习惯记忆的主要使用的原始研究。这种情绪唤起的影响多个记忆系统的相对使用取决于基底外侧杏仁核的调节作用。最后，我们简要考虑了背外侧纹状体依赖记忆的情绪诱导增强可能与理解某些人类精神病理学中的适应不良习惯行为有关。