Acute effects of alcohol on memory: impact of emotional context and serial position.

摘要: Although the amnestic effects of alcohol in humans are well known, its on emotional memory unclear. In this study, using a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design, we examine narrative episodic healthy human female volunteers (n=32) who received either single dose (0.6g/kg), or placebo and then viewed neutral story elements presented context. Memory was tested for gist detail 3days later surprise recognition test. Since modulates GABAergic neurotransmission may exert emotion through limbic system, predicted that acute treatment would reduce expected memory-advantage gist, leaving relatively unaffected. Furthermore, given previous findings showing 'primacy' is enhanced by physiological arousal, reduced arousal produced have opposite effect impair primacy relative to middle 'recency' sections narrative. Emotional oppose effect, so impaired following only version there main phase (though not version), contrary expectations, emotionally encoded material. The results suggest under certain circumstances context make memories labile susceptible disruption pharmacological manipulation during encoding.