Yale researchers led by Elizabeth Goldfarb published a study in Science Advances testing how the stress hormone cortisol affects emotion and memory circuits. In the experiment, participants took a pill containing hydrocortisone or a placebo before viewing pictures during an fMRI scan. The fMRI measures oxygenated blood flow to show brain activity. Participants reported how each image made them feel, and the researchers tested memory for the pictures the next day. Each person took part twice, once with hydrocortisone and once with placebo, in a double-blind design.
The team measured short, dynamic functional connectivity during each brief trial, about five seconds, and used these patterns to predict how people felt and which pictures they later remembered. Both predictions worked. The study found that cortisol helped people remember emotional experiences and that it altered emotion and memory networks in specific ways.
Difficult words
- cortisol — a hormone released during stress or danger
- hydrocortisone — a medication similar to the stress hormone cortisol
- placebo — a pill with no active medical ingredient
- functional connectivity — how different brain areas communicate during tasksdynamic functional connectivity
- double-blind — study where neither participants nor researchers know treatment
- oxygenated — having oxygen present in blood or tissue
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Discussion questions
- Have you ever remembered an emotional event better than a neutral one? Why do you think that happened?
- What do you think about using pills like hydrocortisone to change memory? Give one possible benefit and one risk.
- How might researchers use information about emotion and memory networks in real life?
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