The Amygdala's Role in Human Mnemonic Processing

Abstract

The possible role played by the human amygdaloid complex in the processing of mnemonic information is examined. First, evidence is reviewed from case reports in which amygdaloid damage occurred due to surgical intervention or pathological or age-related changes. Then, studies are evaluated in which the amygdala was stimulated or in which electrical potentials were recorded from it. Based on this survey an hypothesis on the possibile involvement of the amygdala in mnemonic information processing is proposed. In essence, it is argued that the human amygdala is responsible for activating or reactivating those mnemonic events which are of an emotional significance for the subjects' life history and that this (re-)activation is performed by charging sensory information with appropriate emotional cues. Supportive evidence for this hypothesis is given based on human case reports, on studies in animals in which information processing was determined following amygdaloid lesions, and on evidence of neuroanatomical connections of the primate amygdala.