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Threat of punishment motivates memory encoding via amygdala, not midbrain, interactions with the medial temporal lobe.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Murty, VP; Labar, KS; Adcock, RA
Published in: J Neurosci
June 27, 2012

Neural circuits associated with motivated declarative encoding and active threat avoidance have both been described, but the relative contribution of these systems to punishment-motivated encoding remains unknown. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans to examine mechanisms of declarative memory enhancement when subjects were motivated to avoid punishments that were contingent on forgetting. A motivational cue on each trial informed participants whether they would be punished or not for forgetting an upcoming scene image. Items associated with the threat of shock were better recognized 24 h later. Punishment-motivated enhancements in subsequent memory were associated with anticipatory activation of right amygdala and increases in its functional connectivity with parahippocampal and orbitofrontal cortices. On a trial-by-trial basis, right amygdala activation during the motivational cue predicted hippocampal activation during encoding of the subsequent scene; across participants, the strength of this interaction predicted memory advantages due to motivation. Of note, punishment-motivated learning was not associated with activation of dopaminergic midbrain, as would be predicted by valence-independent models of motivation to learn. These data are consistent with the view that motivation by punishment activates the amygdala, which in turn prepares the medial temporal lobe for memory formation. The findings further suggest a brain system for declarative learning motivated by punishment that is distinct from that for learning motivated by reward.

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Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

June 27, 2012

Volume

32

Issue

26

Start / End Page

8969 / 8976

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Temporal Lobe
  • Punishment
  • Oxygen
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Motivation
  • Mesencephalon
  • Memory
  • Male
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Murty, V. P., Labar, K. S., & Adcock, R. A. (2012). Threat of punishment motivates memory encoding via amygdala, not midbrain, interactions with the medial temporal lobe. J Neurosci, 32(26), 8969–8976. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0094-12.2012
Murty, Vishnu P., Kevin S. Labar, and R Alison Adcock. “Threat of punishment motivates memory encoding via amygdala, not midbrain, interactions with the medial temporal lobe.J Neurosci 32, no. 26 (June 27, 2012): 8969–76. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0094-12.2012.
Murty, Vishnu P., et al. “Threat of punishment motivates memory encoding via amygdala, not midbrain, interactions with the medial temporal lobe.J Neurosci, vol. 32, no. 26, June 2012, pp. 8969–76. Pubmed, doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0094-12.2012.

Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

June 27, 2012

Volume

32

Issue

26

Start / End Page

8969 / 8976

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Temporal Lobe
  • Punishment
  • Oxygen
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Motivation
  • Mesencephalon
  • Memory
  • Male
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging