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The Impact of Depression on Emotional Memory in Latinos and Non-Latinos

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Ahi Ajayan¹, Fernanda Morales-Calva¹, Madelyn Castro¹, Yasmin Sharpe¹, Stephanie Leal²; ¹Rice University, ²University of California, Los Angeles

Past research suggests Latinos are at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Mnemonic discrimination tasks (MDTs) provide a memory measure sensitive to age-related changes in memory. However, MDTs have yet to be examined in Latinos. Furthermore, how we remember emotional events is important, as Latinos exhibit heightened emotional engagement with positive and negative stimuli. Individuals with depression often show memory impairment and a negativity bias in memory. Thus, integrating emotional measures of memory and depressive symptoms is valuable when evaluating memory changes with aging, especially in Latino populations. In the current study, we used an emotional MDT, which taxes hippocampal pattern separation, providing a sensitive memory measure, during high-resolution fMRI to examine how depression impacts emotional memory performance in Latinos (N = 73) and non-Latinos (N = 73). Regions of interest included the hippocampal subfields dentate gyrus (DG)/CA3 and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), which are involved in the emotional modulation of memory. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory to measure depressive symptomology. Preliminary results revealed those with greater depressive symptoms exhibiting enhanced memory for negative over positive images, with Latinos showing greater depressive symptoms. We also found different neurobiological profiles in Latinos and non-Latinos. Through behavioral and neurobiological investigation, this study advances understanding of cross-cultural differences in memory performance, focusing on emotional memory and differential impacts of depression in Latinos compared to non-Latinos. This study lays the groundwork for future research on cultural variability in emotional expression and perception and highlights the importance of recognizing cognitive diversity across ethnic groups.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Development & aging