The Emotional Brain by Joseph LeDoux

Author:Joseph LeDoux
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

FIGURE 7–5

Brain Systems of Emotional Memory and Memory of Emotion.

It is now common to think of the brain as containing a variety of different memory systems. Conscious, declarative or explicit memory is mediated by the hippocampus and related cortical areas, whereas various unconscious or implicit forms of memory are mediated by different systems. One implicit memory system is an emotional (fear) memory system involving the amygdala and related areas. In traumatic situations, implicit and explicit systems function in parallel. Later, if you are exposed to stimuli that were present during the trauma, both systems will most likely be reactivated. Through the hippocampal system you will remember who you were with and what you were doing during the trauma, and will also remember, as a cold fact, that the situation was awful. Through the amygdala system the stimuli will cause your muscles to tense up, your blood pressure and heart rate to change, and hormones to be released, among other bodily and brain responses. Because these systems are activated by the same stimuli and are functioning at the same time, the two kinds of memories seem to be part of one unified memory function. Only by taking these systems apart, especially through studies of experimental animals but also through important studies of rare human cases, are we able to understand how memory systems are operating in parallel to give rise to independent memory functions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.