Labar Kevin S
Duke University.
Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2007;16(4):173-177. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00498.x.
Neurobiological accounts of emotional memory have been derived largely from animal models investigating the encoding and retention of memories for events that signal threat. This literature has implicated the amygdala, a structure in the brain's temporal lobe, in the learning and consolidation of fear memories. Its role in fear conditioning has been confirmed, but the human amygdala also interacts with cortical regions to mediate other aspects of emotional memory. These include the encoding and consolidation of pleasant and unpleasant arousing events into long-term memory, the narrowing of focus on central emotional information, the retrieval of prior emotional events and contexts, and the subjective experience of recollection and emotional intensity during retrieval. Along with other mechanisms that do not involve the amygdala, these functions ensure that significant life events leave a lasting impression in memory.
情绪记忆的神经生物学解释很大程度上源自动物模型，这些模型研究了对预示威胁的事件的记忆编码和保留。该文献表明，大脑颞叶中的杏仁核在恐惧记忆的学习和巩固中发挥作用。其在恐惧条件反射中的作用已得到证实，但人类杏仁核也与皮质区域相互作用，以介导情绪记忆的其他方面。这些方面包括将愉快和不愉快的唤起事件编码和巩固到长期记忆中、将注意力集中在核心情绪信息上、检索先前的情绪事件和背景，以及在检索过程中回忆和情绪强度的主观体验。与其他不涉及杏仁核的机制一起，这些功能确保重大生活事件在记忆中留下持久的印象。
