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Interactions of Emotion and Memory in the Aging Brain: Neural and Psychological Correlates

  • Social Cognition (J Beadle, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review aims to summarize current research on the psychological and neural substrates of emotion and memory in aging.

Recent Findings

Emotional memory remains largely intact with age; however, there are mixed findings regarding what type of information is preserved. Shifts in functional connectivity in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and frontal cortex may underlie emotional memory alterations in aging and are particularly vulnerable to age-related disorders. However, we may be able to harness the interaction between emotion and memory to alleviate memory dysfunction in late life.

Summary

The relationship between emotion and memory in aging is complex, as emotional biases exist but may differ depending on factors such as underlying pathology or stress hormones. With the advent of advanced imaging methodology and sensitive cognitive tasks, we are better suited to address these research questions. Understanding how emotion may be harnessed to modulate memory may provide a mechanism to rescue memory deficits in aging and disease.

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Fig. 1

source of norepinephrine (NE), degrades with age. The PFC plays a role in modulating emotional memory. In aging, there may be increased reliance on amygdala-PFC connectivity rather than amygdala-hippocampal connectivity. D The dentate gyrus (DG) subfield of the hippocampus can perform pattern separation, while the CA3 subfield can perform pattern completion. In aging, there is a bias towards pattern completion and away from pattern separation. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is involved in the emotional modulation of memory. In aging, there is reduced amygdala-hippocampal connectivity during memory performance and increased MTL connectivity during false recognition. *Caveat: It is important note that the age-related changes depicted here are generally found; however, there are individual differences in aging such that not all older adults will show these effects. For example, we depict increased glucocorticoids in aging; however, glucocorticoid levels can vary widely with age such that some older adults have levels on par with young adults while others have elevated levels. This age-related variability is important to highlight and could explain discrepancies in findings

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    Lorena A. Ferguson & Stephanie L. Leal

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Ferguson, L.A., Leal, S.L. Interactions of Emotion and Memory in the Aging Brain: Neural and Psychological Correlates. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 9, 47–57 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-021-00245-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-021-00245-6

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