The effect of glucose administration and the emotional content of words on heart rate and memory

Theeffects of glucose administration and emotionality of target material on heart rate and memorywere examined in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced crossover study. Memory for neutral and emotional words was tested in 20 young adults following a glucose drink and a placebo. Heart rate and blood glucose were also measured. Emotional words were recalled and recognized better than neutral words in both drink conditions but there was no direct effect of drink type on memory. During the neutral word memory tasks, similar heart rate deceleration was observed in both drink conditions. However, during the processing of emotional material, heart rates were lowered in the placebo condition and relatively increased in the glucose condition. These results further differentiate the physiological responses involved during memory for affective and neutral material.