Stressed Memories (APA Citation) Stressed Memories in

Stressed Memories (APA Citation) Stressed Memories In the article titled "Stressed Memories: How Acute Stress Affects Memory Formation in Humans" researchers studied the hypothesis that acute stress can improve the formation of memory in the human brain. According to the authors, "Information encoded into memory during stressful experiences is generally well remembered." (Henckens, 2009, p.10111) In other words, what people experience during stressful or traumatic events is better remembered than experiences that occur under normal, or non-stressful conditions.

The researchers in this article wanted to study the affects of stress on memory formation and determine the physiological processes that occur in the brain. The study participants consisted of eighteen right-handed male volunteers ranging in age from 19 to 31 years with a median age of 22 years.

There were a number of criteria which excluded participants including "history of head injury, treatment with psychotropic medications, narcotics, B-blockers, steroids, or any other medication that affects CNS or endocrine systems, medical illness within the 3 weeks before testing, self reported mental or substance use disorder," as well as many others in which a person's stress levels may be affected. (Henckens, p.10112) The test consisted of subjects having their brains scanned by a fMRI while being shown a number of pictures.

Interspersed among the pictures, subjects were shown short movie clips of a violent or stressful nature which induced a stressful state. This state of stress was confirmed through both physiological and psychological means. One day after the test subjects were brought back in order to be quizzed on the photos and how well the subjects remembered the details of the pictures.

After conducting the experiment the researchers concluded that "acute stress profoundly affected the neural correlates of memory formation, and it did so in a region-specific manner." (Henckens, p.10116) What this means is that when a person experiences acute stress their ability to encode memory is enhanced. This happens through a number of physiological processes beginning with the dilation of the pupils; allowing for an abundance of information to be sent to the brain for processing. However, this information overload is then filtered through the ventral visual stream eliminating irrelevant information.

Through modifications of the hippocampus region of the brain the remaining information is processed and remembered. In other words, increases in stress levels cause a hyper-vigilant state in which an excess of information is obtained. This information is then filtered through a number of processes in the brain and eventually only the relevant information is remembered. The researchers sought to discover the means by which people remember better during stressful conditions. Subjects for the test were exposed to both neutral and stressful states and shown a number of pictures.

A day later they were asked to remember the pictures and it was discovered that they remembered better the ones they were shown during the stressful times. During the test.