Memory processes in post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract

The relation between emotion and memory is highly complex and, on the surface, the studies conducted are full of contradictions. A consensus is gradually emerging that emotion is likely to benefit memory for central details while disadvantaging memory for peripheral details, and that extremely high levels of emotion lead to strong conditioned responses while impairing conscious memory processes. These phenomena are illustrated well in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where intense flashbacks can co-exist with disorganized and incomplete narrative memory. These findings are related to the dual representation theory of memory in PTSD, and the implications for therapy are briefly discussed.