Does Adrenalin improve the speed of learning?

Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a remarkable chemical that plays a pivotal role in our bodies, especially during moments of stress and excitement. Produced both by the adrenal glands and in the brain, this hormone serves as a potent catalyst for our "fight or flight" response, enhancing alertness, vigilance, and readiness for action. In this article, we delve into the multifaceted functions of adrenaline, from its influence on memory consolidation, particularly through the amygdala, to its impact on emotions and focus.

Join us on a journey through the fascinating world of adrenaline, where science unveils the intricate connections between neurochemical states, emotions, and the art of memory.

What is the main function of adrenaline (epinephrine)?

There are two types of adrenaline – one is produced by the adrenal glands right above the kidney and is responsible for our freeze, flight or fight response. The biological phenomena that all mammals poses. We either freeze in a stressful situation, dash for the exit or go head-to-head. Adrenaline in the body increases alertness, vigilance and our readiness for action whenever a stressful event takes place (argument, attack, jumping into freezing water). It elevates our breathing and heart rate which allows for higher blood flow to the muscles and brain, giving more nutrients to do the action.

?In the brain it is produced in the locus coeruleus and it’s called nor-adrenaline (nor-epinephrine) and it acts as a neurotransmitter – or in other words it helps nerve cells to communicate with one another.

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The amygdala and memories

The amygdala is pea sized piece of the brain – it is located in the medial temporal lobe just in front of the hippocampus, another crucial area for memory. Despite of its puny size it plays a huge role in memory formation and consolidation.

Amygdala is responsible for threat detection or noticing what information in our environment is new. It is linked to particular emotional states (positive or negative), as these events – especially if stressful are key to our survival. Stressful events are arguably the most important ones to remember. An animal must be able to tell immediately whether sounds, places, scents, and other animals are dangerous.

Because the amygdala is so interconnected with other areas of the brain – it connects to everything and everything connects back to it, the amygdala is able to strengthen particular connections in the brain very easily. It’s extremely good at figuring out correlations between sensory events, such as seeing a car wiz by as you try to walk through the road, which trigger the release of adrenaline. The effects of amygdala in this context is to take whatever patterns of neural activity preceded that increase in adrenaline & other stress hormones and strengthen those synapses that were involved in that neural activity so that the retrieval (remembering) becomes faster. This solidifies the memory and the next time you come to cross the road you remember to look both ways before crossing.

However, the amygdala is not a thinking area – it’s a correlation detector. It ties together the neurochemical states of the body with different patterns of electrical activity in the brain.

This is important because it emphasises the fact that both negative & positive emotional states lay down memories equally well.

How emotions affect what we remember

As noted by Francis Bacon in 1620, “memory is assisted by anything that makes an impression on a powerful passion, inspiring fear, for example or wonder, shame or joy”. ?300+ years later this observation by Bacon holds true today - many studies have reported that highly emotionally arousing experiences such as earthquakes and terrorist attacks are well remembered.

However, it’s not the emotion that helps memory – but the neurochemical state that it produces (quickening of heart rate, blood vessels dilating, increased alertness in brain).

Whilst they are related, they are not one and the same thing. Even small shifts in emotions have a big impact - studies have reported that pictures or words that are only mildly arousing tend to be better remembered than their mundane counterparts. For example, picture of a doctor with a patient (mundane) and a picture of the same duo but this time the doctor is operating in the picture (emotionally evoking).

As mentioned above – this happens due to the increase of stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline) in the body and brain, causing the link between the neural circuitry to become stronger and more retriable.? Whilst even mild arousal helps memory, the overall findings show that the more significant the emotional response the stronger the memory.

Does adrenaline help you focus?

In short – yes. However, it’s not a one man show, it doesn’t increase focus alone but it’s a vital key to the equation as it provides alertness which in fact increases focus.