title: Binding neutral information to emotional contexts: Brain dynamics of long-term recognition memory.
abstract: There is abundant evidence in memory research that emotional stimuli are better remembered than neutral stimuli. However, effects of an emotionally charged context on memory for associated neutral elements is also important, particularly in trauma and stress-related disorders, where strong memories are often activated by neutral cues due to their emotional associations. In the present study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate long-term recognition memory (1-week delay) for neutral objects that had been paired with emotionally arousing or neutral scenes during encoding. Context effects were clearly evident in the ERPs: An early frontal ERP old/new difference (300-500 ms) was enhanced for objects encoded in unpleasant compared to pleasant and neutral contexts; and a late central-parietal old/new difference (400-700 ms) was observed for objects paired with both pleasant and unpleasant contexts but not for items paired with neutral backgrounds. Interestingly, objects encoded in emotional contexts (and novel objects) also prompted an enhanced frontal early (180-220 ms) positivity compared to objects paired with neutral scenes indicating early perceptual significance. The present data suggest that emotional--particularly unpleasant--backgrounds strengthen memory for items encountered within these contexts and engage automatic and explicit recognition processes. These results could help in understanding binding mechanisms involved in the activation of trauma-related memories by neutral cues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Franz-Mehring-Str. 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany. cventura@uji.es.|Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat unnumbered, 12071, Castellón, Spain. cventura@uji.es.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ventura-Bort
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Franz-Mehring-Str. 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany. loew@hsu-hh.de.|Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut- Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, 700822, Hamburg, 22008, Germany. loew@hsu-hh.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Löw
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Franz-Mehring-Str. 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany. julia.wendt@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat unnumbered, 12071, Castellón, Spain. molto@uji.es.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moltó
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Av. Sos Baynat unnumbered, 12071, Castellón, Spain. poy@uji.es.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poy
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Neuroscience Program, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA. fdolcos@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Florin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dolcos
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Franz-Mehring-Str. 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany. hamm@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Alfons O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Hamm
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, Franz-Mehring-Str. 47, 17487, Greifswald, Germany. mathias.weymar@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weymar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D013995:Time; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Associative memory; Context; ERPs; Emotion; Event-related potentials; Old/New effect; Recognition; Relational memory