The DOI matches its Crossref record; 19 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
β-Adrenergic activation and memory for emotional events
Abstract
Substantial evidence from animal studies suggests that enhanced memory associated with emotional arousal results from an activation of beta-adrenergic stress hormone systems during and after an emotional experience. To examine this implication in human subjects, we investigated the effect of the beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol hydrochloride on long-term memory for an emotionally arousing short story, or a closely matched but more emotionally neutral story. We report here that propranolol significantly impaired memory of the emotionally arousing story but did not affect memory of the emotionally neutral story. The impairing effect of propranolol on memory of the emotional story was not due either to reduced emotional responsiveness or to nonspecific sedative or attentional effects. The results support the hypothesis that enhanced memory associated with emotional experiences involves activation of the beta-adrenergic system.
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In the citing paper
“Beta blockers (e.g., propranolol), a class of compounds that are antagonists of β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors, inhibit the action of norepinephrine and epinephrine at these sites and have shown promise in both animal models and humans when administered during the acute phase of trauma, however, results have been mixed (Cahill et al., 1994; Vaiva et al., 2003; Hoge et al., 2012; Bailey et al., 2”
From Maladaptive autonomic regulation in PTSD accelerates physiological aging (2015) · cites this paper as Cahill et al., 1994
In the citing paper
“High levels of norepinephrine β-AR stimulation during acute stress increase the coupling of the vmPFC to subcortical limbic areas58 and enhance the memory consolidation processing of the amygdala35.”
From Stress weakens prefrontal networks: molecular insults to higher cognition (2015) · cites this paper as [35]
In the citing paper
“The increased activity in the amygdala also involved increased catecholamine actions35 (see below), accentuating how chemical changes during acute stress exposure can switch neural orchestration of behavior from top-down to more primitive brain states (Fig. 1b).”
From Stress weakens prefrontal networks: molecular insults to higher cognition (2015) · cites this paper as [35]
In the citing paper
“noradrenaline pathways involving β-adrenergic receptors are known to play a role in emotional memory and emotional perception (Cahill et al. 1994; Harmer et al. 2001) as judged by the effects of the non-selective β-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol.”
From Propranolol reduces implicit negative racial bias (2012) · cites this paper as Cahill et al. 1994
In the citing paper
“Propranolol in single doses is a well-established means of assessing the role of noradrenaline pathways in emotional learning and perception (Cahill et al. 1994; Harmer et al. 2001; Hurlemann et al. 2010a, b; Mihov et al. 2010).”
From Propranolol reduces implicit negative racial bias (2012) · cites this paper as Cahill et al. 1994
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
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Metadata
- Authors
- Cahill, L., Prins, B., Weber, M., & McGaugh, J. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 1994-10
- Volume
- 371
- Issue
- 6499
- Pages
- 702-704
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2078599937
- Cited by
- 1,271
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 43 · 2014: 55 · 2013: 52 · 2012: 63
- FWCI
- 13.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- beta-adrenergic receptors, propranolol, emotional memory, emotional arousal, memory consolidation, stress hormones, memory impairment
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Blood Pressure, Emotions, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Male, Memory, Propranolol, Receptors, Adrenergic, beta
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