Retrieval of human aversive memories involves reactivation of gamma activity patterns in the hippocampus that originate in the amygdala during encoding

Emotional memories require coordinated activity of the amygdala and hippocampus. Human intracranial recordings have shown that formation of aversive memories involves an amygdala theta-hippocampal gamma phase code. Yet, the mechanisms engaged during translation of aversive experiences into memories and subsequent retrieval remain unclear. Directly recording from human amygdala and hippocampus, here we show that hippocampal gamma activity increases for correctly remembered aversive scenes, while exerting unidirectional oscillatory influence within the theta/beta frequency range on the amygdala for previously seen aversive scenes. Crucially, patterns of amygdala high amplitude gamma activity at encoding are reactivated in the hippocampus, but not amygdala, during both aversive encoding and retrieval. Trial-specific hippocampal gamma patterns showing highest representational similarity with amygdala activity at encoding are replayed in the hippocampus during aversive retrieval. This reactivation process occurs against a background of gamma activity that is otherwise decorrelated between encoding and retrieval. Thus, retrieval of aversive memories is hippocampal-centered, with hippocampal activity patterns apparently entrained by the amygdala during encoding.