Yale researchers have shown that the stress hormone cortisol strengthens emotional memories by altering how brain networks for emotion and memory communicate, helping explain why intense experiences are hard to forget.
01Summary
- 01The study, involving participants who took hydrocortisone or a placebo, used fMRI to examine brain activity during picture viewing and next-day memory tests.
- 02Cortisol improved memory for emotionally significant experiences and produced more consistent activity in emotion-related brain networks.
- 03In memory networks, cortisol made activity patterns more specialised for emotional information and increased coordination between emotion and memory networks.
- 04The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
- 05The double-blind experiment allowed researchers to compare each person's brain response with and without additional cortisol.
02Why it matters
This research reveals why stress selectively strengthens memories for emotionally intense events, which could inform treatments for conditions like PTSD where such memories become overwhelming.
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