Stress administered prior to encoding impairs neutral but enhances emotional long-term episodic memories : Stress administered prior to encoding impairs neutral but enhances emotional long-term episodic memories Jessica D. Payne1,3,4, Eric D. Jackson2, Siobhan Hoscheidt2, Lee Ryan2, W. Jake Jacobs2, and Lynn Nadel2,4 Author Affiliations 1 Harvard University, Department of Psychology, William James Hall, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA; 2 University of Arizona, Department of Psychology, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA; 3 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA � Next Section Abstract Stressful events frequently comprise both neutral and emotionally arousing information, yet the impact of stress on emotional and neutral events is still not fully understood. The hippocampus and frontal cortex have dense concentrations of receptors for stress hormones, such as cortisol, which at high levels can imp...