Abstract
Emotion influences various cognitive processes, including learning and memory. The amygdala is specialized for input and processing of emotion, while the hippocampus is essential for declarative or episodic memory. During emotional reactions, these two brain regions interact to translate the emotion into particular outcomes. Here, we briefly introduce the anatomy and functions of amygdala and hippocampus, and then present behavioral, electrophysiological, optogenetic and biochemical evidence from recent studies to illustrate how amygdala and hippocampus work synergistically to form long-term memory. With recent technological advances, the causal investigations of specific neural circuit between amygdala and hippocampus will help us understand the brain mechanisms of emotion-regulated memories and improve clinical treatment of emotion-associated memory disorders in patients.
Highlights
Over the past half century, it is increasingly recognized that memories are governed by distinct and interacting brain regions
The amygdala is specialized for the processing of emotion, while the hippocampus is essential for episodic memory
Understanding the intricacies of their anatomical structure and their projection circuitry is of great importance given that amygdala and hippocampus are implicated in a wide range of emotional diseases and emotion-associated memory impairment, including anxiety, depression and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), etc
Summary
Over the past half century, it is increasingly recognized that memories are governed by distinct and interacting brain regions. Medial temporal lobe systems, such as amygdala and hippocampus, have been primarily investigated in emotion associated-memory. The amygdala is specialized for the processing of emotion, while the hippocampus is essential for episodic memory. The communication between amygdala and hippocampus may serve as a cardinal neural substrates to modify recollection of events at will (Phelps, 2004). Amygdala and hippocampus can operate independently and interact in subtle ways. Understanding the intricacies of their anatomical structure and their projection circuitry is of great importance given that amygdala and hippocampus are implicated in a wide range of emotional diseases and emotion-associated memory impairment, including anxiety, depression and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), etc. Readers are directed to recent reviews for in-depth information on the circuitry of basolateral amygdala and the hippocampus, by which they act synergistically to form long-term memories
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