Neuroscience is witnessing growing interest in understanding brain mec
hanisms of memory formation for emotionally arousing events, a develop
ment closely related to renewed interest in the concept of memory cons
olidation. Extensive research in animals implicates stress hormones an
d the amygdaloid complex as key,interacting modulators of memory conso
lidation for emotional events. Considerable evidence suggests that the
amygdala is not a site of long-term explicit or declarative memory st
orage, but serves to influence memory-storage processes in other brain
regions, such as the hippocampus, striatum and neocortex. Human-subje
ct studies confirm the prediction of animal work that the amygdala is
involved with the formation of enhanced declarative memory for emotion
ally arousing events.