Noradrenergic arousal after encoding reverses the course of systems consolidation in humans

Valentina Krenz, Tobias Sommer, Arjen Alink, Benno Roozendaal and Lars Schwabe ()
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Valentina Krenz: Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg
Tobias Sommer: University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Systems Neuroscience
Arjen Alink: University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Systems Neuroscience
Benno Roozendaal: Radboud University Medical Center
Lars Schwabe: Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract It is commonly assumed that episodic memories undergo a time-dependent systems consolidation process, during which hippocampus-dependent memories eventually become reliant on neocortical areas. Here we show that systems consolidation dynamics can be experimentally manipulated and even reversed. We combined a single pharmacological elevation of post-encoding noradrenergic activity through the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine with fMRI scanning both during encoding and recognition testing either 1 or 28 days later. We show that yohimbine administration, in contrast to placebo, leads to a time-dependent increase in hippocampal activity and multivariate encoding-retrieval pattern similarity, an indicator of episodic reinstatement, between 1 and 28 days. This is accompanied by a time-dependent decrease in neocortical activity. Behaviorally, these neural changes are linked to a reduced memory decline over time after yohimbine intake. These findings indicate that noradrenergic activity shortly after encoding may alter and even reverse systems consolidation in humans, thus maintaining vividness of memories over time.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-26250-7

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26250-7

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