The influence of stress hormones on emotional memory: relevance for psychopathology

Abstract

Substantial progress within recent years has led to a better understanding of the impact of stress on emotional memory. These effects are of relevance for understanding and treating psychopathology. The present selective review describes how emotional memory is modulated through stress hormones. Acute as well as chronic effects are discussed and information from rodent models is compared to human experimental studies and clinical observations. Finally, the relevance of these findings for emotional memory disturbances in psychiatric disorders is exemplified by discussions on neuroendocrine alterations in depression, post traumatic stress disorder and phobias.