Emotion, as well as cognition, are often understood as a manifestation of brain activity. However, bodily processes are also involved in mental functioning, referring to the concept of embodiment. Embodied emotion, traditionally, implies that experiencing an emotion involves perceptual, somato-visceral, and motor aspects. Within the frame of the Research Training Group “Situated Cognition”, we here extend the concept of embodiment by considering the role of hormones in the processing of emotional content. Importantly, hormones allow a bidirectional body-to-brain and brain-to-body coupling. The endocrine system, e.g., steroid sex hormones, produced in the gonads, send feedback to the brain by binding at their receptors. These receptors are relatively abundant in the brain regions associated with emotional processing, memory, and executive functions (i.e., amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex). Moreover, peripheral hormone secretion is modulated via actions from the central nervous system. We intended to characterize the role of sex hormones, and partly also of stress hormones, on different components of emotion as a hormonal embodiment of emotion. Thus, we examined emotional processing in different sex hormone-status groups. To account for different levels of sex hormones, we used a quasi-experimental approach by comparing women in different cycle phases, women using hormonal oral contraceptives (Study 1), and additionally men (in Study 2). The female menstrual cycle is characterized by fluctuating sex hormone levels. On the peripheral gonadal level, these are 17β-estradiol and progesterone. These hormones are low at the beginning of the cycle (early follicular phase). Estradiol rises towards the middle of the cycle (mid-cycle) and stays moderately high until the next cycle. Progesterone levels are high after mid-cycle in the luteal phase until the end of the cycle. Hormonal contraceptives suppress the endogenous production of estradiol and progesterone, keeping the hormone levels low during the whole cycle. Estradiol and progesterone are also present in males, however, at low levels with no sign of cyclical fluctuations. In Study 1, we examined three independent groups of women in the mid-cycle (n = 24), in the luteal phase (n = 24), and women using hormonal oral contraceptives (n = 24). We assessed different measures of emotional processing, i. e. emotional memory, cognitive and affective empathy-related measures (emotion recognition and ratings for feeling with a protagonist´s emotion, respectively), as well as mimic and skin-conductance responses to affective stimuli. Additionally, we addressed interactions of experimental stress (cold pressor test vs. control) with sex hormones in emotional memory. Our data demonstrated the role of hormones in empathy-related measures and skin-conductance responses depending on the stimulus characteristics (valence, the gender of the protagonist). Emotional memory was not affected by hormone status, stressor or salivary hormone levels. In the cognitive empathy-related measure, women in the luteal phase, as well as oral contraceptive users, identified emotions depicted by female protagonists more accurately than those by male protagonists. On the other hand, estradiol correlated positively with recognition of emotions depicted by males in the total sample. In the affective empathy-related measure, oral contraceptive users rated negative emotions higher than the positive ones. Finally, in the luteal phase skin-conductance responses to negative stimuli were heightened, also supported by a positive correlation with the salivary progesterone levels. The mimic responses remained unaffected. None of the remaining associations with the salivary hormone levels were significant. These results indicate that sex hormones modulated emotional processing by interacting with the stimulus features, as evident in the negativity bias under oral contraceptive use and in the luteal phase in the affective empathy-related measure and sympathetic autonomous reactivity, respectively. However, emotional memory and mimic activity to affective stimuli were not affected. In Study 2, we extended the initial scope to examine the role of sex hormones and olfaction in empathy-related measures. Reports of female advantage in empathy-related measures suggest a role for sex hormones, although data are inconsistent. Studies also report similar sex differences in human olfactory perception. In rodents, olfaction is involved in detecting and integrating socially-relevant information and is modulated by the brain-actions of estrogens. Based on this background, we hypothesized that olfaction may untangle the mixed evidence regarding the relationship between sex hormones and empathy-related measures (cognitive, affective). Thus, we measured odor discrimination ability, empathy-related measures, and facial mimic activity (also associated with affective empathy-related measures) in free-cycling women in high sex-hormone phases (n = 20), oral contraceptive users (n = 19), and men (n = 21). Free-cycling women outperformed only men in the recognition of emotions depicted from the eye region. Oral contraceptive users showed higher scores in the affective empathy-related measure towards negative emotions. Free-cycling women exhibited the strongest facial mimicry (viewing female, but not male protagonists), positively associated with progesterone. Finally, the groups differed in odor discrimination, with free-cycling women outperforming men. However, odor discrimination ability and empathy-related performance were not correlated. Our results support the role of sex hormones in odor perception and empathy-related measures, to a certain extent. However, no common underlying mechanism was found. Finally, we conducted a systematic review (Study 3) aiming to elucidate factors contributing to the inconsistent results concerning the role of sex hormones in the two most addressed areas of emotional processing, emotion recognition (empathy-related measure) and emotional memory. Thereby, we extended previous reviews that address single areas of emotion processing. Moreover, we systematically addressed the role of situational features (mainly emotion-type and/or stimulus valence). All studies included healthy women of reproductive age either in stages of their natural menstrual cycle or using oral contraceptives, and measured or at least estimated levels of ovarian sex hormones. We document the methodological diversity in the field, presumably contributing to the heterogeneity of results. We recognized the need for studies explicitly contrasting the early follicular, mid-cycle, and mid-luteal phases, as well as OC-intake and using standardized tasks. Research would take advantage of using within-subject design more frequently and account for the recognition of complex emotions. In sum, our data suggest that sex hormones differentially modulate the cognitive and affective empathy-related performance and skin-conductance responses by interacting with situational variables, such as the emotional valence of the stimuli and the gender of the protagonist. Women in the luteal phase and under oral contraceptive use demonstrated better recognition of emotions depicted by female protagonists. By contrast, estradiol levels positively correlated with the recognition of emotions depicted by male protagonists. Sex-hormone status main effects only manifested in the emotion recognition advantage of free-cycling women over men (Reading the Mind in The Eyes Test; Study 2). In both studies, affective empathy ratings towards negative emotions were higher in the oral contraceptive users. Moreover, although mimic activity was not associated with sex hormones, skin-conductance responses to negative stimuli were heightened in the luteal phase. On the other hand, the performance in empathy-related measures in different hormone-status groups was not related to odor discrimination ability. Additionally, the inconsistencies of the sex hormone and emotion research could be the result of variations of designs and tasks used across studies from a similar field. This is also indicated in our findings from the empathy-related measures differing in tasks and hormone-status groups in two studies. Finally, our findings provide evidence that emotional processes under sex-hormone modulation are situated, i.e., subject to the influence of the stimulus valence. Furthermore, they are embodied via coupling between the endocrine system and the brain as evident in hormone status and valence interactions in empathy-related measures and sympathetic reactivity.

La littérature suggère que le sommeil paradoxal joue un rôle dans l'intégration associative de la mémoire émotionnelle. De plus, les rêves en sommeil paradoxal, en particulier leur nature bizarre et émotionnelle, semblent refléter cette fonction associative et émotionnelle du sommeil paradoxal. La conséquence des cauchemars fréquents sur ce processus est inconnue, bien que le réveil provoqué par un cauchemar semble interférer avec les fonctions du sommeil paradoxal. Le premier objectif de cette thèse était de reproduire conceptuellement des recherches antérieures démontrant que le sommeil paradoxal permet un accès hyper-associatif à la mémoire. L'utilisation d'une sieste diurne nous a permis d'évaluer les effets du sommeil paradoxal, comparativement au sommeil lent et à l’éveil, sur la performance des participants à une tâche sémantique mesurant « associational breadth » (AB). Les résultats ont montré que seuls les sujets réveillés en sommeil paradoxal ont répondu avec des associations atypiques, ce qui suggère que le sommeil paradoxal est spécifique dans sa capacité à intégrer les traces de la mémoire émotionnelle (article 1). En outre, les rapports de rêve en sommeil paradoxal étaient plus bizarres que ceux en sommeil lent, et plus intenses émotionnellement ; ces attributs semblent refléter la nature associative et émotionnelle du sommeil paradoxal (article 2). Le deuxième objectif de la thèse était de préciser si et comment le traitement de la mémoire émotionnelle en sommeil paradoxal est altéré dans le Trouble de cauchemars fréquents (NM). En utilisant le même protocole, nos résultats ont montré que les participants NM avaient des résultats plus élevés avant une sieste, ce qui correspond aux observations antérieures voulant que les personnes souffrant de cauchemars soient plus créatives. Après le sommeil paradoxal, les deux groupes, NM et CTL, ont montré des changements similaires dans leur accès associatif, avec des résultats AB-négatif plus bas et AB-positif plus grands. Une semaine plus tard, seul les participants NM a maintenu ce changement dans leur réseau sémantique (article 3). Ces résultats suggèrent qu’au fil du temps, les cauchemars peuvent interférer avec l'intégration de la mémoire émotionnelle pendant le sommeil paradoxal. En ce qui concerne l'imagerie, les participants NM avaient plus de bizarrerie et plus d’émotion positive, mais pas négative, dans leurs rêveries (article 4). Ces attributs intensifiés suggèrent à nouveau que les participants NM sont plus imaginatifs et créatifs à l’éveil. Dans l'ensemble, les résultats confirment le rôle du sommeil paradoxal dans l'intégration associative de la mémoire émotionnelle. Cependant, nos résultats concernant le Trouble de cauchemars ne sont pas entièrement en accord avec les théories suggérant que les cauchemars sont dysfonctionnels. Le groupe NM a montré plus d’associativité émotionnelle, de même que plus d'imagerie positive et bizarre à l’éveil. Nous proposons donc une nouvelle théorie de sensibilité environnementale associée au Trouble de cauchemar, suggérant qu'une sensibilité accrue à une gamme de contextes environnementaux sous-tendrait les symptômes uniques et la richesse imaginative observés chez les personnes souffrant de cauchemars fréquents. Bien que davantage de recherches doivent être faites, il est possible que ces personnes puissent bénéficier e milieux favorables, et qu’elles puissent avoir un avantage adaptatif à l'égard de l'expression créative, ce qui est particulièrement pertinent lorsque l'on considère leur pronostic et les différents types de traitements. / Existing literature suggests that REM sleep plays a role in the associative integration of emotional memory, and that attributes of dreams during REM sleep, particularly their bizarre and emotional nature, either reflect or even influence this associative and emotional function. The consequence of frequent nightmares on this process is unknown, although, the experience of a nightmare suggests an associative restriction imposed by intense negative emotion, consistent with research showing that negative affect tends to restrict cognitive flexibility in wake. This is consistent with existing theories of nightmare function, largely purporting that nightmares reflect temporary failures in emotion regulation. The first objective of the thesis was to conceptually replicate prior research portraying REM sleep as enabling increased associative access to emotional memory. The use of a daytime nap allowed us to assess the effects of REM sleep, compared to both NREM sleep and waking, on participant performance on a novel task measuring Associational Breadth (AB). Results showed that only those subjects awakened from REM sleep responded with atypical emotional word associations, suggesting that REM is specific in its capacity to broadly integrate emotional memory traces (article 1). Further, REM dream reports were more bizarre than both NREM dreams and waking daydreams, and more emotionally intense than NREM dreams; these attributes are thought to reflect the hyper-associative and emotional nature of REM sleep (article 2). The second objective was to clarify whether and how REM sleep-dependent emotional memory processing is altered in frequent nightmares sufferers. Using a similar nap protocol, our results showed that NM participants had higher baseline AB in response to emotional cue-words, contrary to predictions, but nonetheless corresponding with anecdotal reports of heightened creativity. Following REM sleep, both NM and CTL groups showed similar changes in associative access to emotional cue-words, with negative AB being restricted and positive AB being broadened; one week later, the NM group alone maintained this altered pattern of emotional semantic access (article 3). This finding suggests that, over time, nightmares may interfere with REM sleep-dependent emotional memory integration. Regarding imagery, the NM participants had heightened bizarreness, and positive, but not negative, imagery in their daydreams, but not their dreams (article 4), mirroring our AB finding that the NM group had significantly higher emotional associativity in wake, although patterns of associativity following a REM sleep nap did not differ between groups. Overall, findings support a role of REM sleep in the associative integration of emotional memory. However, our findings regarding nightmare sufferers are not entirely consistent with views that nightmares are associated with dysfunctional emotional memory processing. Although they did show a prolonged priming effect suggestive of inadequate emotion regulation, they also showed heightened semantic associativity and vivid positive imagery in wake. We therefore propose a novel Environmental Sensitivity framework for the study of nightmare sufferers, claiming that an increased sensitivity to a range of environmental contexts, not only negative contexts, underlies the unique symptoms and imaginative richness seen in frequent nightmare sufferers. Although further empirical research exploring potentially adaptive traits or sensitivity to positive contexts in nightmare sufferers is needed, the possibility that these individuals may benefit especially from supportive environments, and may have heightened creativity and semantic associativity, is particularly relevant when considering prognosis and treatment approaches.

No description available.

<p>Thank you to all who were involved in this research including Drs. Benicio Frey,<br />Sue Becker, Margaret McKinnon, Luciano Minuzzi, and Lauren Cudney and Marg Coote. I would like to express my very great appreciation to the midwives at Community Midwives of Hamilton for enabling me to visit the clinic and recruit their pregnant clients. Finally, I would like to thank Lorenda Williams, John Williams, and Eric Johnson for their continued support.</p> / <p>Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious disorder associated with debilitating effects on mothers and their infants. A previous history of depression appears to be the strongest risk factor for PPD. Previous studies showed that individuals with history of depression accurately recall more negative compared to positive content. The objective of this study was to compare emotional memory for negative and positive images between pregnant women with previous depressive episodes and pregnant women with no lifetime depression. This is the first study to investigate emotional memory in pregnant women with or without previous history of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). A total of 77<br />participants between the ages of 18 - 44 (mean age: 27.3  6.2yo) completed the study (14 pregnant women with previous depressive episodes, 30 pregnant women with no lifetime depression, 13 non-pregnant women with previous depressive episodes, and 20 non-pregnant healthy). Participants took part in an emotional encoding task consisting of positive, negative, and neutral images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) where they were asked to rate these images based on perceived emotional intensity. Participants returned a week later for a surprise incidental recognition memory task. A multivariate general linear model revealed a significant main effect of group (F(1,71)= 8.04, p=.01). Women with history of MDD demonstrated poorer memory performance than women with no history for negative images, but the two groups did not<br />differ on memory for positive images. This suggests that having a history of depression selectively impaired the memory recognition of negative images.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

La plasticité synaptique est une propriété indispensable à l’acquisition de la mémoire chez toutes les espèces étudiées, des invertébrés aux primates. La formation d’une mémoire débute par une phase de plasticité qui inclut une restructuration synaptique ; ensuite elle se poursuit par la consolidation de ces modifications, contribuant à la mémoire à long terme. Certaines mémoires redeviennent malléables lorsqu’elles sont rappelées. La trace mnésique entre alors dans une nouvelle de phase de plasticité, au cours de laquelle certaines composantes de la mémoire peuvent être mises à jour, puis reconsolidées. L’objectif de la présente thèse est d’étudier les mécanismes cellulaires et moléculaires qui sont activés lors du rappel d’une mémoire. Nous avons utilisé un modèle de conditionnement Pavlovien, combiné à l’administration d’agents pharmacologiques et à l’analyse quantitative de marqueurs de plasticité synaptique, afin d’étudier la dynamique de la mémoire de peur auditive chez des rats Sprague Dawley. La circuiterie neuronale et les mécanismes associatifs impliqués dans la neurobiologie de cette mémoire sont bien caractérisés, en particulier le rôle des récepteurs glutamatergiques de type NMDA et AMPA dans la plasticité synaptique et la consolidation. Nos résultats démontrent que le retour de la trace mnésique à un état de labilité nécessite l’activation des récepteurs NMDA dans l’amygdale baso-latérale à l’instant même du rappel, alors que les récepteurs AMPA sont requis pour l’expression comportementale de la réponse de peur conditionnée. D’autre part, les résultats identifient le rappel comme une phase bien plus dynamique que présumée, et suggèrent que l’expression de la peur conditionnée mette en jeu la régulation du trafic des récepteurs AMPA par les récepteurs NMDA. Le présent travail espère contribuer à la compréhension de la neurobiologie fondamentale de la mémoire. De plus, il propose une intégration des résultats aux modèles animaux d’étude des troubles psychologiques conséquents aux mémoires traumatiques chez l’humain, tels que les phobies et les syndromes de stress post-traumatiques. / Synaptic plasticity is necessary for the acquisition of memory in all studied species, from invertebrates to primates. Memory formation starts with a phase of plasticity that entails synaptic remodeling ; then follows the consolidation of these modifications, which contributes to long-term memory. Some memories return to a malleable state upon retrieval. Consequently, the memory trace enters a new phase of plasticity, during which some memory components are eventually updated, then reconsolidated. The aim of the present thesis was to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are engaged during memory retrieval. We used a model of Pavlovian conditioning in Sprague Dawley rats, combined to pharmacological manipulations and quantitative analysis of synaptic plasticity markers, in order to study the dynamics of auditory fear memory. The neuronal circuitry and the associative mechanisms involved in the neurobiology of this memory are well characterized, in particular the role of NMDA and AMPA glutamatergic receptors in synaptic plasticity and consolidation. Our results show that the return of the memory trace to lability requires activation of NMDA receptors in the basolateral amygdala during retrieval, whereas AMPA receptors are necessary for the behavioral expression of the conditioned fear response. Furthermore, the data identify retrieval as being much more dynamic than recognized, and suggest that conditioned fear expression involves NMDA receptor-dependent regulation of AMPA receptors’ trafficking. The present work attempts to advance our understanding of the fundamental neurobiology of memory. In addition, it offers an integrative view of the data with regards to animal modeling of human clinical issues related to traumatic memories, like phobias and post-traumatic stress disorders.

La plasticité synaptique est une propriété indispensable à l’acquisition de la mémoire chez toutes les espèces étudiées, des invertébrés aux primates. La formation d’une mémoire débute par une phase de plasticité qui inclut une restructuration synaptique ; ensuite elle se poursuit par la consolidation de ces modifications, contribuant à la mémoire à long terme. Certaines mémoires redeviennent malléables lorsqu’elles sont rappelées. La trace mnésique entre alors dans une nouvelle de phase de plasticité, au cours de laquelle certaines composantes de la mémoire peuvent être mises à jour, puis reconsolidées. L’objectif de la présente thèse est d’étudier les mécanismes cellulaires et moléculaires qui sont activés lors du rappel d’une mémoire. Nous avons utilisé un modèle de conditionnement Pavlovien, combiné à l’administration d’agents pharmacologiques et à l’analyse quantitative de marqueurs de plasticité synaptique, afin d’étudier la dynamique de la mémoire de peur auditive chez des rats Sprague Dawley. La circuiterie neuronale et les mécanismes associatifs impliqués dans la neurobiologie de cette mémoire sont bien caractérisés, en particulier le rôle des récepteurs glutamatergiques de type NMDA et AMPA dans la plasticité synaptique et la consolidation. Nos résultats démontrent que le retour de la trace mnésique à un état de labilité nécessite l’activation des récepteurs NMDA dans l’amygdale baso-latérale à l’instant même du rappel, alors que les récepteurs AMPA sont requis pour l’expression comportementale de la réponse de peur conditionnée. D’autre part, les résultats identifient le rappel comme une phase bien plus dynamique que présumée, et suggèrent que l’expression de la peur conditionnée mette en jeu la régulation du trafic des récepteurs AMPA par les récepteurs NMDA. Le présent travail espère contribuer à la compréhension de la neurobiologie fondamentale de la mémoire. De plus, il propose une intégration des résultats aux modèles animaux d’étude des troubles psychologiques conséquents aux mémoires traumatiques chez l’humain, tels que les phobies et les syndromes de stress post-traumatiques. / Synaptic plasticity is necessary for the acquisition of memory in all studied species, from invertebrates to primates. Memory formation starts with a phase of plasticity that entails synaptic remodeling ; then follows the consolidation of these modifications, which contributes to long-term memory. Some memories return to a malleable state upon retrieval. Consequently, the memory trace enters a new phase of plasticity, during which some memory components are eventually updated, then reconsolidated. The aim of the present thesis was to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are engaged during memory retrieval. We used a model of Pavlovian conditioning in Sprague Dawley rats, combined to pharmacological manipulations and quantitative analysis of synaptic plasticity markers, in order to study the dynamics of auditory fear memory. The neuronal circuitry and the associative mechanisms involved in the neurobiology of this memory are well characterized, in particular the role of NMDA and AMPA glutamatergic receptors in synaptic plasticity and consolidation. Our results show that the return of the memory trace to lability requires activation of NMDA receptors in the basolateral amygdala during retrieval, whereas AMPA receptors are necessary for the behavioral expression of the conditioned fear response. Furthermore, the data identify retrieval as being much more dynamic than recognized, and suggest that conditioned fear expression involves NMDA receptor-dependent regulation of AMPA receptors’ trafficking. The present work attempts to advance our understanding of the fundamental neurobiology of memory. In addition, it offers an integrative view of the data with regards to animal modeling of human clinical issues related to traumatic memories, like phobias and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:19:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5467.pdf: 2078884 bytes, checksum: ea4b65ac9862fb8231836d4cc2d57339 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-12 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Experimental studies indicate that the cerebellum works not only in motor control but performs more complex tasks, such as the consolidation of emotional memory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of actions of thioperamide (THIO), histaminergic H3 receptor antagonist, in the consolidation of emotional memory in mice through the cerebellar vermis. To this was done two experiments. Experiment 1 used the elevated plus maze (EPM) as the test apparatus, and the experiment 2 used the Inhibitory Avoidance Test (IAT). In both experiments were utilized four experimental groups of male mice of Swiss Albino strain, weighing between 25-35g. All animals were submitted to surgical procedure that consisted in the implementation of the guide cannula in the cerebellar vermis. In each experiment there was one control group that was treated with saline (SAL), and three groups that received pharmacological treatment of THIO different concentrations: 0.06, 0.3 and 1.5 ng/0.1&#956;l. The tests were done on two consecutive days (exposure and reexposure), and drug treatment occurred immediately after exposure. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) of a track followed by the Duncan test (P <0.01). It was concluded that, in both experiments, the data of previous exposure groups pharmacological treatment did not differ significantly and were grouped in pool. In experiment 1 the reduction of exploration of the open arms on reexposure was considered indicative of learning and memory. The data of experiment 1 pointed out a deficit of emotional memory consolidation for the group with lower dose of THIO (0.06ng /0.1&#956;l), because the data of this group showed no statistical difference in relation to the pool for the variables %OAE and %TAE. The other groups (0.3 and 1.5 ng/0.1 &#956;l), had a reduction in exploratory activity. There was also a statistical difference between the groups of reexposure, being the smallest group of THIO, statistically different from SAL and the two groups of larger doses used in this study did not show this difference. None of the doses used THIO intervened in locomotor activity of the animals, because there was no difference in the variable EAE. In experiment 2 was indicative of learning and memory latency increase on reexposure. The latency increase was observed in groups SAL, 0.06 and 0.3ng/0,1 &#956;l compared with the pool. There was no difference for the group 1.5 ng/0.1 &#956;l. Among the group data of reexposure, there was a difference of 0.3 THIO groups and 1.5 ng/0.1 &#956;l compared to the control, and this difference was not observed in group THIO 0.06. / Trabalhos experimentais apontam que o cerebelo não atua somente no controle motor, mas realiza tarefas mais complexas, como a consolidação da memória emocional. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da atuação da Tioperamida (TIO), antagonista do receptor histaminérgico H3, na consolidação da memória emocional de camundongos via vermis cerebelar. Para isso foi realizado dois experimentos. O experimento 1 utilizou o labirinto em cruz elevado (LCE) como aparato de teste, e o experimento 2 a esquiva inibitória (EI). Em ambos os experimentos foram utilizados 4 grupos experimentais de camundongos machos, da cepa Suiço Albino, pesando entre 25-35 g. Todos os animais foram submetidos ao procedimento cirúrgico que consistiu na implantação da cânula guia no vermis cerebelar. Em cada experimento havia um grupo controle, que foi tratado com salina (SAL), e três grupos que receberam tratamento farmacológico de diferentes concentrações de TIO: 0,06, 0,3 e 1,5 ng/0,1&#956;l. Os testes foram realizados em dois dias consecutivos (exposição e reexposição), sendo que o tratamento farmacológico ocorreu imediatamente após a exposição. Os dados foram analisados utilizando-se a análise de variância (ANOVA) de uma via, seguida do teste de Duncan (p<0,01). Foi constatado que, em ambos os experimentos, os dados dos grupos da exposição anteriores ao tratamento farmacológico não apresentaram diferença estatística e foram agrupados em pool. No experimento 1 a diminuição da exploração dos braços abertos na reexposição foi considerada indicativo de aprendizado e memória. Os dados do experimento 1 apontaram déficit da consolidação da memória emocional para o grupo de menor dose de TIO (0,06 ng/0,1&#956;l), pois os dados deste grupo não apresentaram diferença estatística em relação ao pool, para as variáveis porcentagem de entrada em braços abertos (%EBA) e porcentagem de tempo gasto nos braços abertos ( %TBA). Os demais grupos (0,3 e 1,5 ng/0,1&#956;l) apresentaram redução da atividade exploratória. Houve também diferença estatística entre os grupos da reexposição, sendo o menor grupo de TIO estatisticamente diferente do SAL e os dois grupos de maiores doses utilizados neste estudo, não apresentaram esta diferença. Nenhuma das doses de TIO utilizadas interferiram na atividade locomotora dos animais, pois não houve diferença na variável EBF. No experimento 2 foi indicativo de aprendizagem e memória o aumento da latência na reexposição. O aumento da latência foi observado nos grupos SAL, 0,06 e 0,3 ng/0,1&#956;l em comparação com o pool, e não houve diferença para o grupo 1,5 ng/0,1&#956;l. Entre os dados dos grupos da reexposição, houve diferença dos grupos TIO 0,3 e 1,5 ng/0,1&#956;l em comparação ao controle, e não foi observada esta diferença em relação ao grupo TIO 0,06. Os resultados do experimento 2 indicam facilitação da consolidação da memória emocional para o grupo de dose intermediária de TIO (0,3 ng/0,1&#956;l) e prejuízo para a maior dose de TIO (1,5 ng/0,1&#956;l).

This thesis proposes that Alba Emoting™ is a safe, effective, and versatile technique of generating emotions for acting performance. Alba Emoting is safe because it resolves four major problems some actors experience while generating emotions for acting performance. These problems include, &ldqup;emotional hijacking,” “emotional hangover,” “emotional blockage,” and using emotional memories which are faded, incomplete, inconsistent, or full of mixed emotions. Alba Emoting solves these four problems through the help of certified trainers, the step-out procedure, and the emotional effector patterns, which allow actors consistent access to a large range of emotions. Alba Emoting is effective because it enables actors to control emotional inspiration through technique to create emotions that are felt by the actor and audience. It is versatile because it can be integrated with various rehearsal and emotional exploration techniques. This thesis demonstrates how Alba Emoting may be used with aspects of Stanislavski's System of Acting and Jeremy Whelan's Mosaic Acting System. It also demonstrates how Alba Emoting is used by Hyrum Conrad to create his ArcWork. The purpose of this thesis is to convince universities, conservatories, and other acting training programs to teach Alba Emoting as a technique for generating emotion in acting performance.

本研究包含兩個實驗，分別在再認作業的學習及測驗階段呈現選自國際情緒圖片系統（IAPS）的情緒性及非情緒性圖片作為情境操弄，進而了解情緒性情境對記憶歷程中，入碼及提取階段的影響。行為資料、腦電波相關電位及情緒的生理反應指標皆收集用作分析。實驗一中，中性及負向圖片在記憶目標字出現之前呈現，藉以操弄受試者記憶入碼的情緒狀態。行為結果並未顯示情緒效果，表示入碼的情緒情境不能影響記憶的正確率。事件相關腦電位的資料亦沒有在記憶相關的效果顯現情緒圖片的影響。實驗二中，中性及負向的圖片在提取階段呈現於目標字之前，藉以影響受是者記憶提取時的情緒狀態。相似於實驗一的結果，受試者的行為表現並未受情緒圖片的影響。但在事件相關電位方面，300至500毫秒間，靠近中間前腦區的新舊效果受到情緒的影響。觀看負向圖片後，受試者記憶提取時的新舊效果消失。此結果指出記憶提取時的情緒情境可能造成提取的認知歷程的改變。 / In two experiments, emotional or non-emotional pictures chosen from the IAPS (International Affective Pictures System) were presented before target words in the study phase or test phase of a recognition task to examine the effect of emotional context on memory encoding and retrieval. Behavioral data, ERP (Event-Related Potential) and physical indicators were adopted. In experiment one; neutral or negative pictures were presented before target in study phase in order to modify the emotional state of encoding. Behavioral data showed no emotional effect. Emotion of encoding context did not affect memory in accuracy. ERP data did not show a significant emotional effect on memory related components. In experiment two, pictures were presented before retrieval to modulate the emotional states during memory retrieving. Similar to experiment one, behavioral data was not affected in all indicators. ERP data in experiment two showed an emotional effect on mid-frontal old/new during 300 to 500ms that the old/new difference was eliminated when retrieved under a negative context. The result provided a possible emotional effect on response bias during retrieval.