Neural correlates of responses to emotionally valenced olfactory, visual, and auditory stimuli were examined using positron emission tomography. Twelve volunteers were scanned using the water bolus method. For each sensory modality, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during presentation of both pleasant and unpleasant stimuli was compared with that measured during presentation of neutral stimu...

This paper describes a project currently in progress at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT). Much of the research at ICT involves developing better graphics, sound and artificial intelligence to be used in creating the next generation of training tools for the United States Army. Our project focuses on the use of emotional responses as an enhancemen...

Emotionally arousing cues automatically attract attentional resources, which may be at the cost of processing task-related information. Of central importance is how the visual system resolves competition for processing resources among stimuli differing in motivational salience. Here, we assessed the extent and time-course of competition between emotionally arousing distractors and task-related ...

The effects of adrenergic and corticosteroid hormonal systems on emotional memory were measured in 64 young men. Placebo, propranolol (40 or 80 mg; beta blocker), or metyiapone (corticosteroid synthesis inhibitor) was administered before the viewing of a story composed of emotional and neutral segments. Short- and long-term declarative memory for the story was assessed. Propranolol 40 mg had no...

OBJECTIVE To verify whether the long-term retention of an emotionally arousing story is stronger than the retention of a neutral story, and the enhancing effects of emotional arousal on declarative memory in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. METHOD Twenty subjects (10 with AD and 10 controls matched for age and educational level) were studied. After the audiovisual presentation (neutral stor...

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...