Memory on Ice: Retrograde Ehancement of Thematic Information

Indianapolis, IN

Progesterone and estrogen, hormones known to affect memory, fluctuate across a female's ovulatory cycle. These fluctuating hormone levels have been associated with activity in central memory structures: the hippocampus and the amygdala (Andreano & Cahill 2010). Physical stressors, such as a two-minute cold pressor stress (CPS), can also lead to heightened memory (Andreano & Cahill 2006). The heightened memory can be measured by the release of cortisol in response to stress (Diamond et al. 2007). Puga & Bohannon (2013) found that participants who were exposed to a slideshow including horrible emergency room photos had heightened memory for neutral, pre-critical slides. The results are explained by the evolutionary mechanism that predicts threat preceding the critical manipulation. Seventy-four participants viewed a slide show, immersing their arm in a warm or ice water bath during TBR slides. A three-way interaction between stress, theme and slide order showed greater recall for pre-critical thematic items and post-critical athematic slides in the ice water condition (F=3.39). Ovarian hormones had no effect.