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Basolateral Amygdala Interacts with Other Brain Regions in Regulating Glucocorticoid Effects on Different Memory Functions
Author(s) -
NATHAN SHEILA V.,
GRIFFITH QYANA K.,
MCREYNOLDS JAYME R.,
HAHN EMILY L.,
ROOZENDAAL BENNO
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1314.015
Subject(s) - glucocorticoid , memory consolidation , basolateral amygdala , effects of stress on memory , neuroscience , amygdala , hippocampus , glucocorticoid receptor , prefrontal cortex , impaired memory , psychology , cognition , biology , endocrinology
A bstract : Extensive evidence indicates that acutely administered glucocorticoid hormones influence cognitive performance. Posttraining activation of glucocorticoid‐sensitive pathways involving glucocorticoid receptors dose‐dependently enhance long‐term memory consolidation. We previously reported that such glucocorticoid effects on memory consolidation rely on noradrenergic activation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) and interactions of the BLA with other brain regions. By contrast, memory retrieval and working memory performance are impaired with high circulating levels of glucocorticoids. Although these memory functions depend on the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex, respectively, in recent experiments we found that glucocorticoid‐induced impairment of these two memory functions also requires the integrity of the BLA and the noradrenergic system. Thus, these findings suggest that the BLA is a key structure in a memory‐modulatory system that regulates, in concert with other brain regions, stress and glucocorticoid effects on different memory functions.