Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Cambridge, MA, USA. ekensing@wjh.harvard.edu
Emotional experiences can be described by two factors: valence (how negative or positive) and arousal (how calming or exciting). Although both dimensions appear to influence memory, they may do so via distinct mechanisms. The amygdala likely plays a specific role in modulating memory for arousing experiences, whereas non-amygdalar networks may be instrumental in enhancing memory for non-arousing positive or negative events.