Reducing the Consequences of Acute Stress on Memory Retrieval

Psychological stress has been shown to impair episodic memory retrieval. Implicated in this memory impairment is the physiological stress response, which interferes with retrieval-related neural processing. An important next step in research is to determine how to improve post-stress memory accessibility. In this review, we first consider methodological differences in studies that have examined stress and memory, as they lend insight into the conditions under which stress does and does not impede retrieval. Motivated by these variations in methodology, we advocate for two potential approaches to intervention. One approach is to employ evidence-based techniques that reduce the physiological stress response. A second approach is to target the processes that occur during initial learning to promote the formation of highly accessible memories. Thus, this review serves to both critically evaluate the methods used to examine the effects of stress on memory retrieval and encourage research on interventions for stress-related memory impairment.