QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, March 16, 2005, 25(11):2977-2982; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5139-04.2005

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (50) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kuhlmann, S. Articles by Wolf, O. T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kuhlmann, S. Articles by Wolf, O. T.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Impaired Memory Retrieval after Psychosocial Stress in Healthy Young Men

Sabrina Kuhlmann, Marcel Piel, and Oliver T. Wolf

Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Duesseldorf, D-40225 Duesseldorf, Germany

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are known to modulate memory in animals and humans. One popular model suggests that stress or GC treatment enhances memory consolidation while impairing delayed memory retrieval. Studies in humans have documented that treatment with GCs impairs delayed memory retrieval. Similar alterations after exposure to stress have not been observed thus far. In the present study, 19 young healthy male subjects were exposed to either a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control condition in a crossover manner. After both treatments, retrieval of a word list (learned 24 h earlier) containing 10 neutral, 10 negative, and 10 positive words was tested. The stressor induced a significant increase in salivary free cortisol and a decrease in mood. Memory retrieval (free recall) was significantly impaired after the stress condition. Follow-up analysis revealed that negative and positive words (i.e., emotionally arousing words) were affected, whereas no effect was observed for neutral words. No changes were detected for cued recall, working memory, or attention. The present study thus demonstrates that psychosocial stress impairs memory retrieval in humans and suggests that emotionally arousing material is especially sensitive to this effect.

Key words: stress; steroid; memory; emotion; human; hippocampus

---

Received Dec 16, 2004; revised January 27, 2005; accepted February 1, 2005.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				X.-Y. Wang, M. Zhao, U. E. Ghitza, Y.-Q. Li, and L. Lu Stress Impairs Reconsolidation of Drug Memory via Glucocorticoid Receptors in the Basolateral Amygdala J. Neurosci., May 21, 2008; 28(21): 5602 - 5610. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Coluccia, O. T. Wolf, S. Kollias, B. Roozendaal, A. Forster, and D. J.-F. de Quervain Glucocorticoid Therapy-Induced Memory Deficits: Acute versus Chronic Effects J. Neurosci., March 26, 2008; 28(13): 3474 - 3478. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Payne, E. D. Jackson, S. Hoscheidt, L. Ryan, W. J. Jacobs, and L. Nadel Stress administered prior to encoding impairs neutral but enhances emotional long-term episodic memories Learn. Mem., December 17, 2007; 14(12): 861 - 868. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Bourget and L. Whitehurst Amnesia and Crime J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, December 1, 2007; 35(4): 469 - 480. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. P. Wong, J. G. Howland, J. M. Robillard, Y. Ge, W. Yu, A. K. Titterness, K. Brebner, L. Liu, J. Weinberg, B. R. Christie, et al. Hippocampal long-term depression mediates acute stress-induced spatial memory retrieval impairment PNAS, July 3, 2007; 104(27): 11471 - 11476. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J.-F. de Quervain, A. Aerni, and B. Roozendaal Preventive Effect of {beta}-Adrenoceptor Blockade on Glucocorticoid-Induced Memory Retrieval Deficits Am J Psychiatry, June 1, 2007; 164(6): 967 - 969. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. K. Harrison, T. Manser, S. K. Howard, and D. M. Gaba Use of cognitive AIDS in a simulated anesthetic crisis. Anesth. Analg., September 1, 2006; 103(3): 551 - 556. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J.-F. DE QUERVAIN Glucocorticoid-Induced Inhibition of Memory Retrieval: Implications for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., July 1, 2006; 1071(1): 216 - 220. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. W. Buchanan, D. Tranel, and R. Adolphs Impaired memory retrieval correlates with individual differences in cortisol response but not autonomic response. Learn. Mem., May 1, 2006; 13(3): 382 - 387. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Soravia, M. Heinrichs, A. Aerni, C. Maroni, G. Schelling, U. Ehlert, B. Roozendaal, and D. J.-F. de Quervain Glucocorticoids reduce phobic fear in humans PNAS, April 4, 2006; 103(14): 5585 - 5590. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. Wiegert, M. Joels, and H. Krugers Timing is essential for rapid effects of corticosterone on synaptic potentiation in the mouse hippocampus Learn. Mem., March 1, 2006; 13(2): 110 - 113. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help