Emotional Arousal and Enhanced Amygdala Activity: New Evidence for the Old Perseveration-Consolidation Hypothesis

Autor/in	McGaugh, James L.
Titel	Emotional Arousal and Enhanced Amygdala Activity: New Evidence for the Old Perseveration-Consolidation Hypothesis
Quelle	In: Learning & Memory, 12 (2005) 2, S.77-79 (3 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1072-0502
Schlagwörter	Memory; Brain; Neurological Organization; Animals; Molecular Biology; Inhibition; Psychological Patterns + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Gedächtnis; Gehirn; Animal; Tier; Tiere; Molekularbiologie; Hemmung
Abstract	Just a little over a century has passed since Muller and Pilzecker (1900) proposed the "perseveration-consolidation" hypothesis suggesting that neural activity initiated by newly learned information perseverates for a while and that such perseveration is critical for consolidating memory. Although memory consolidation is currently the focus of considerable research investigating the molecular mechanisms responsible for converting new memories into lasting memories and the brain regions essential for such conversion, "perseveration" has been dropped from the hyphenated hypothesis and has not remained an explicit focus of research and theory concerning memory consolidation. This article discusses the findings of the study by Pelletier et al. (2005) which provide compelling evidence suggesting that it may now be appropriate to restore "perseveration-" to the consolidation hypothesis. Using extracellular multiple microelectrode arrays, Pelletier and colleagues recorded the activity of neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) of cats before and after a mild footshock administered for inhibitory avoidance training. The firing rate of the neurons, as well as the synchrony of the firing, increased significantly after the footshock, peaked at over half an hour later and did not return to baseline until over 2 h after the footshock. As Pelletier et al. (2005) note, this evidence of long-lasting (i.e., perseverating) increased firing of BLA neurons induced by footshock training fits well with the extensive evidence that the BLA is critically involved in modulating the consolidation of emotionally arousing experiences (McGaugh 1990, 2004; Pare 2003). (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 500 Sunnyside Boulevard, Woodbury, NY 11797-2924. Tel: 800-843-4388; 516-367-8800; Fax: 516-422-4097; e-mail: cshpres@cshl.edu; Web site: http://www.learnmem.org/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10