The left prefrontal cortex determines relevance at encoding and governs episodic memory formation.

Orth, Michael; Wagnon, Carole; Neumann-Dunayevska, Elisabeth; Kaller, Christoph Phillipp; Klöppel, Stefan; Meier, Beat; Henke, Katharina; Peter, Jessica (2023). The left prefrontal cortex determines relevance at encoding and governs episodic memory formation. Cerebral cortex, 33(3), pp. 612-621. Oxford University Press 10.1093/cercor/bhac088

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The role hemispheric lateralization in the prefrontal cortex plays for episodic memory formation in general, and for emotionally valenced information in particular, is debated. In a randomized, double-blind, and sham-controlled design, healthy young participants (n = 254) performed 2 runs of encoding to categorize the perceptual, semantic, or emotionally valenced (positive or negative) features of words followed by a free recall and a recognition task. To resolve competing hypotheses about the contribution of each hemisphere, we modulated left or right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity using transcranial direct current stimulation during encoding (1 mA, 20 min). With stimulation of the left DLPFC, but not the right DLPFC, encoding and free recall performance improved particularly for words that were processed semantically. In addition, enhancing left DLPFC activity increased memory formation for positive content while reducing that for negative content. In contrast, promoting right DLPFC activity increased memory formation for negative content. The left DLPFC assesses semantic properties of new memory content at encoding and thus influences how successful new episodic memories are established. Hemispheric laterlization-more active left DLPFC and less active right DLPFC-at the encoding stage shifts the formation of memory traces in favor of positively valenced content.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Geriatric Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Weitere Forschungsgruppen
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Cognitive Psychology, Perception and Methodology
04 Faculty of Medicine > University Psychiatric Services > University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

UniBE Contributor:

Orth, Michael, Wagnon, Carole Chantal, Klöppel, Stefan, Meier, Beat, Henke, Katharina, Peter, Jessica

Subjects:

100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

1047-3211

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Language:

English

Submitter:

Jessica Peter

Date Deposited:

31 Mar 2022 08:30

Last Modified:

29 Mar 2023 23:38

Publisher DOI:

10.1093/cercor/bhac088

PubMed ID:

35253836

Uncontrolled Keywords:

DLPFC alertness emotional valence episodic memory incidental learning level of processing tDCS

BORIS DOI:

10.48350/168294

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/168294

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