The Temporal Dynamics Model of Emotional Memory Processing: A Synthesis on the Neurobiological Basis of Stress-Induced Amnesia, Flashbulb and Traumatic Memories, and the Yerkes-Dodson Law

By D. Diamond, Adam M. Campbell, Collin R. Park, Joshua D. Halonen, P. Zoladz. Journal of Neural Transplantation and Plasticity, 2007

746 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We have reviewed research on the effects of stress on LTP in the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex (PFC) and present new findings which provide insight into how the attention and memory-related functions of these structures are influenced by strong emotionality. We have incorporated the stress-LTP findings into our “temporal dynamics” model, which provides a framework for understanding the neurobiological basis of flashbulb and traumatic memories, as well as stress-induced amnesia. An important feature of the model is the idea that endogenous mechanisms of plasticity in the hippocampus and amygdala are rapidly activated for a relatively short period of time by a strong emotional learning experience. Following this activational period, both structures undergo a state in which the induction of new plasticity is suppressed, which facilitates the memory consolidation process. We further propose that with the onset of strong emotionality, the hippocampus rapidly shifts from a “configural/cognitive map” mode to a “flashbulb memory” mode, which underlies the long-lasting, but fragmented, nature of traumatic memories. Finally, we have speculated on the significance of stress-LTP interactions in the context of the Yerkes-Dodson Law, a well-cited, but misunderstood, century-old principle which states that the relationship between arousal and behavioral performance can be linear or curvilinear, depending on the difficulty of the task.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental and Educational Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e555912aa4bd950b85fdbda2914063cece66edfe

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In Cognitive Neuroscience

Citations in the corpus

Reinforcement Learning in non-stationary environments: An intrinsically motivated stress based memory retrieval performance (SBMRP) model (2014, background): “This is a Hebbian version of Yerkes and Dodson curves [11] that explains the non-linear relationship (stress curve) between simulated arousal levels against memory retrieval performance of an organism.”
Towards a glutamate hypothesis of depression (2011, background): “…in which the induction of new plasticity is inhibited (threshold for LTP is increased), probably to ensure the preservation of memory related to the stressful event and avoid interference of memories formed in the subsequent period of time (for a discussion see Diamond et al., 2007; Joels, 2008).”
Waking State: Rapid Variations Modulate Neural and Behavioral Responses (2015, positive): “Finally, the ability of primates to perform a delayed saccade to target task was optimal at intermediate pupil diameters, with degradation in performance at either low or high levels of arousal (Ebitz et al., 2014).”
The impact of stress on body function: A review (2017, background): “This paradox results from the type of imposed stress and either the degree of emotional connection to the stressful event (Payne et al., 2007; Diamond et al., 2007), or the period of time between the imposing stress and the process of learning (Diamond et al., 2007).”
A review of caffeine's effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. (2016, background): “…(Diamond, 2005), individual differences in caffeine sensitivity (Renda et al., 2015), gender or body-weight differences (Wood et al., 2014), the motivational or emotional state of the volunteers (Diamond et al., 2007), impulsivity and sociability (Anderson, 1994), and/or other factors.”