Importance of amygdala noradrenergic activity and large-scale neural networks in regulating emotional arousal effects on perception and memory.

Mather and colleagues postulate that norepinephrine promotes selective processing of emotionally salient information through local "hotspots" where norepinephrine release interacts with glutamatergic activity. However, findings in rodents and humans indicate that norepinephrine is ineffective in modulating mnemonic processes in the absence of a functional amygdala. We therefore argue that emphasis should shift toward modulatory effects of amygdala-driven changes at the network level.