Autobiographical Memory In Patients Research Articles

The phenomenological experience of autobiographical memory in patients with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia

In this study, we offer a comprehensive assessment of the phenomenological experience of patients with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) upon retrieval of autobiographical memory. We invited patients with bvFTD and control participants to retrieve autobiographical memories and rate, for each memory, its phenomenological characteristics. We also analyzed the retrieved memories regarding specificity (i.e., whether the memory described a general or a detailed event). Results demonstrated that, compared to control participants, patients with bvFTD attributed lower levels of reliving, back in time (feeling as if going back in time), remembering, realness, visual imagery, auditory imagery, language, emotion, rehearsal, importance, spatial recall and temporal recall to their memories. Lower autobiographical specificity was also observed in patients with bvFTD compared to control participants. Autobiographical specificity in patients with bvFTD was associated with verbal fluency and verbal episodic memory, but not with phenomenological experience. Although autobiographical memories of patients with bvFTD show low ratings of phenomenological experience, the patients may still enjoy some limited subjective experience during autobiographical retrieval.

Brain correlates of recall of negative autobiographical memories in patients with schizophrenia

Introduction Autobiographical memory is known to be disturbed in schizophrenia. In addition, a leading theory of auditory hallucinations (AVH) is that they are intrusive – typically negative – autobiographical memories that are misinterpreted as perceptions.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the brain functional correlates of recall of negatively emotionally valanced autobiographical memories in patients with schizophrenia, with a longer term aim of comparing patients with and without AVH.Methods11 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 10 age, sex and estimated premorbid IQ-matched healthy controls have so far taken part.Participants underwent functional MRI in a 3T scanner while performing a task requiring them to recall autobiographical memories in response to individually tailored pairs of cue words. The cue words were based on autobiographical memories previously elicited in an interview with each patient and were designed to evoke the same memory. The cue words were presented in 10 20-second blocks interspersed with blocks where the subjects viewed cue words that did not evoke autobiographical memories. Brain activations were examined in three contrasts of interest: memory evoking words vs baseline, neutral words vs baseline and memory evoking vs neutral words.Pre-processing and analysis were carried out with the FEAT module included in the FSL software. Statistical analysis was performed by means of a General Linear Model (GLM) approach.ResultsIn the memory evoking vs baseline contrast the patients showed hypoactivation in the medial frontal cortex compared to the healthy controls (Figure 1). There were no differences in activation between the patients and the controls comparing the memory evoking and neutral cues.Image:Conclusions The finding of hypoactivation in the medial frontal cortex compared to low level baseline in patients with schizophrenia suggests dysfunction in the default mode network, which is known to activate during recall of autobiographical memories.These preliminary results suggest that recall of negative autobiographical memories in patients with schizophrenia is associated with reduced activity in the default mode network. A planned larger sample of patients and controls will be used to examine activations in patients with and without AVH.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Brain Functional Correlates of Recall of Life Events in Medication-Naïve Adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder

Introduction: Recall of autobiographical events has been found to be impaired in borderline personality disorder (BPD), but few studies have examined if this impairment has brain functional correlates. This study evaluated brain functional alterations during autobiographical recall using medication-naive adolescent patients to avoid potential confounding effects of treatment. Methods: Thirty-two adolescent female patients with BPD who were never-medicated and without psychiatric comorbidity and 33 matched healthy females underwent fMRI while they viewed individualized cue words that evoked autobiographical memories. Control conditions included viewing non-memory-evoking cues and a low-level baseline (cross-fixation). Results: During autobiographical recall, in comparison to the low-level baseline, the BPD patients showed increased brain activity in regions including the posterior hippocampus, the lingual and calcarine cortex, and the precuneus compared to the healthy controls. The BPD patients also showed a failure to deactivate the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during autobiographical recall. No patient-control differences were found when memory-evoking words were compared to non-memory-evoking words. Discussion/Conclusions: This study finds evidence of hippocampal/lingual/calcarine/precuneus hyperactivation to stimuli that evoke autobiographical memories in patients with BPD. As the changes were seen in never-treated patients without other comorbidities, they could be considered intrinsic to the disorder. Our study also adds to existing evidence for failure of deactivation in BPD, this time outside the default mode network.

Episodic and Semantic Autobiographical Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): A Systematic Review.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a syndrome defined as a decline in cognitive performance greater than expected for an individual according to age and education level, not interfering notably with daily life activities. Many studies have focused on the memory domain in the analysis of MCI and more severe cases of dementia. One specific memory system is represented by autobiographical memory (AM), which has been largely studied in Alzheimer's disease and its effect on AM; however, the impairment of AM in moderate forms of decline, such as MCI, is still controversial. The main aim of this systematic review is to analyze the functioning of autobiographical memory in patients with MCI, considering both the semantic and the episodic components. The review process was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. The search was conducted until 20 February 2023 in the following bibliographical databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycInfo, and twenty-one articles were included. The results highlight controversial findings concerning the semantic component of AM since only seven studies have found a worse semantic AM performance in patients with MCI compared to the HC group. The results of impaired episodic AM in individuals with MCI are more consistent than those concerning semantic AM. Starting from the evidence of this systematic review, further studies should detect and investigate the cognitive and emotional mechanisms that undermine AM performance, allowing the development of specific interventions targeting these mechanisms.

Cardiac Autonomic and Cardiac Vagal Control During and After Depressive and Happiness Autobiographical Memories in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

BackgroundHeart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) are indices of cardiac autonomic and cardiac vagal control (CVC), both of which are markers of emotional regulation and physical health. This study examined (1) the differences in cardiac autonomic regulation and CVC during baseline, depressive, and happiness autobiographical memory tasks between participants with major depressive disorder (MDD group) and healthy controls (HC group); (2) the associations between depressive symptoms and cardiac autonomic and CVC; and (3) the reactivity and recovery of cardiac autonomic and CVC between the MDD and HC groups.MethodsA total of 168 and 178 participants were included in the MDD and HC groups, respectively. Demographic data and the Beck Depression Inventory-II were collected before the experimental procedure. Lead II electrocardiograph (ECG) was measured during baseline, depressive, and happiness autobiographical memory tasks, and then interbeat intervals from ECG were converted to the time and frequency domains of HRV and RSA.ResultsThe participants in the MDD group showed lower HRV (including standard deviation of normal to normal intervals, low frequency, the natural logarithm of low frequency, and the natural logarithm of high frequency) and CVC (RSA and lnRSA) than those in the HC group. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with heart rate and negatively correlated with the indices of cardiac autonomic and CVC. There was significantly increased reactivity and recovery of cardiac autonomic and CVC during and after depressive and happiness autobiographical memory tasks in the HC group, but not in the MDD group.DiscussionParticipants with MDD had cardiac autonomic and CVC dysregulation, decreased reactivity, and did not recover to baseline after emotional provocations. These results can be the theoretical basis for clinical intervention by using HRV biofeedback to restore cardiac autonomic regulation and CVC during and after emotional events in the future.

Music Stimulation as a Method of Optimizing Autobiographical Memory in Patients Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive deterioration of cognitive functions, with memory being the most affected. Several studies have shown the benefits of music as a complementary treatment for dementia, improving patients’ quality of life. A scientific contribution is needed to show how autobiographic memory could be improved by using musical activities. Objective: The aim of this investigation is to analyze the impact of a musical stimulation protocol on the performance of autobiographical memory in elderly people suffering from Alzheimer’s. Participants and Method: This research was conducted with three patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease: two females (66.7%), and one male (33.3%). One (33.3%) was in the early stages, and two were in the middle stages. This investigation used a quantitative, pre-experimental, longitudinal study with the application of two tests before and after the intervention. Findings: Changes in the performance of autobiographical memory (t=-5.79, p=0.002), and in the semantic component (t=-10.14, p=0.01) were found to be statistically significant, but no changes were evident for episodic memory (t=-0.19, p=0.86). Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence of the potential effectiveness of using a music protocol to improve the performance of autobiographical memory in patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01304 Full Text: PDF

ODor-evoked Autobiographical Memory in Alzheimer's disease?

Because memory decline is the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), an important endeavor for both clinicians and researchers is to improve memory performances in AD. This can be pursued by olfactory stimulation of memory in patients with AD and by studying the effects of olfactory stimulation on autobiographical memory (i.e., memory for personal information). The effects of olfactory stimulation on autobiographical memory in patients with mild AD have been reported by recent research. We thus provide the first comprehensive overview of research on odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD. We also establish the basis for solid theoretical analysis concerning the memory improvement reported by research on odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD. We examined literature on odor-evoked autobiographical memories in AD and propose the "OdAMA" (Odor-evoked Autobiographical Memory in Alzheimer's disease) model. According to OdAMA model, odor exposure activates involuntary access to specific autobiographical memories, which promotes enhanced experience subjective of retrieval in patients with AD and improves their ability to construct not only recent and remote events but also future ones. The OdAMA model could serve as a guide for researchers and clinicians interested in odor-evoked autobiographical memory in AD.

A Longitudinal Study of Episodic and Semantic Autobiographical Memory in aMCI and Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Background: The main objective of this study was to analyze the evolution of autobiographical memory (both episodic and semantic) in patients with mild cognitive impairment, patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and a healthy control group. We compared these groups at two time points: first, at baseline, and in a follow-up after 18 months. Method: Twenty-six healthy older adults, 17 patients with mild amnestic cognitive impairment, and 16 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, matched on age and educational level, were evaluated at both time points with the Autobiographical Memory Interview. Results: The results showed significant longitudinal deterioration in episodic and semantic autobiographical memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment and in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but not in healthy older adults. Conclusions: The deterioration of episodic and semantic autobiographical memory in AD is confirmed; however, although the episodic was impaired in aMCI, a pattern that evolved toward deterioration over a period of eighteen months was observed for the semantic autobiographical memory.

The image of memory: relationship between autobiographical memory and mental imagery in Korsakoff syndrome

We evaluated the relationship between autobiographical memory and mental imagery in Korsakoff syndrome (KS). We invited patients with KS and control participants to retrieve personal events and to perform measures of visual imagery (Taller/Wilder task), and spatial imagery (Clock Angles task). On the Taller/Wilder task, participants had to generate a mental image of an object presented as a word and determine whether the object was taller than it was wide. On the Clock Angles task, participants had to imagine the angle created by the hands on a clock set to a certain time and determine whether that angle was <90°. Analyses showed impaired spatial imagery and autobiographical memory but intact visual imagery in KS. Analyses also demonstrated significant correlations between visual imagery, spatial imagery and autobiographical memory in patients with KS and control participants. Our findings demonstrate that autobiographical retrieval in KS is associated with the ability to retrieve (visual imagery) and manipulate mental images (spatial imagery).

A review of autobiographical memory studies on patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

BackgroundPatients suffering from schizophrenia spectrum disorders demonstrate various cognitive deficiencies, the most pertinent one being impairment in autobiographical memory. This paper reviews quantitative research investigating deficits in the content, and characteristics, of autobiographical memories in individuals with schizophrenia. It also examines if the method used to activate autobiographical memories influenced the results and which theoretical accounts were proposed to explain the defective recall of autobiographical memories in patients with schizophrenia.MethodsPsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed databases were searched for articles published between January 1998 and December 2018. Fifty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. All studies implemented the generative retrieval strategy by inducing memories through cue words or pictures, the life-stage method, or open-ended retrieval method. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement guidelines were followed for this review.ResultsMost studies reported that patients with schizophrenia retrieve less specific autobiographical memories when compared to a healthy control group, while only three studies indicated that both groups performed similarly on memory specificity. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited earlier reminiscence bumps than those for healthy controls. The relationship between comorbid depression and autobiographical memory specificity appeared to be independent because patients’ memory specificity improved through intervention, but their level of depression remained unchanged. The U-shaped retrieval pattern for memory specificity was not consistent. Both the connection between the history of attempted suicide and autobiographical memory specificity, and the relationship between psychotic symptoms and autobiographical memory specificity, remain inconclusive. Patients’ memory specificity and coherence improved through cognitive training.ConclusionsThe overgeneral recall of autobiographical memory by patients with schizophrenia could be attributed to working memory, the disturbing concept of self, and the cuing method implemented. The earlier reminiscence bump for patients with schizophrenia may be explained by the premature closure of the identity formation process due to the emergence of psychotic symptoms during early adulthood. Protocol developed for this review was registered in PROSPERO (registration no: CRD42017062643).

The role of hippocampus in the retrieval of autobiographical memories in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's disease.

The role of the hippocampus and neocortical areas in the retrieval of past memories in pre-dementia Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients was investigated. The aim was to assess whether the hippocampus has a temporary role in memory trace formation, according to the Cortical Reallocation Theory (CRT), or whether it continuously updates and enriches memories, according to the Multiple Trace Theory. According to the former theory, hippocampal damage should affect more recent memories, whereas the association cortex is expected to affect memories of the entire lifespan. In the second case, damage to either the hippocampus or the association cortices should affect memories of the entire lifespan. Seventeen patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment due to AD were submitted to autobiographical (i.e., episodic and semantic personal) memory assessment. Patients underwent MRI for the acquisition of T1-weighted brain volumes. Voxel-based morphometry was used to assess correlations between grey matter (GM) volumes and autobiographical memory. Correlation analyses revealed a strict association between GM volumes in the hippocampus and patients' ability to retrieve the most recent but not the oldest autobiographical memories in both aspects, episodic and semantic. Moreover, patients' GM volumes in the pre-frontal and temporal polar areas were associated with recollection of episodic and semantic events, respectively. Finally, GM volumes in the precuneus and occipital cortex were associated with retrieval of the most recent episodic events. These findings indicate that the hippocampus has a specific time-dependent role; thus, they support the CRT.

Tell about yourself to improve your autobiographical memory: A study of Korsakoff's syndrome

Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) has been associated with a difficulty to retrieve specific autobiographical memories. We investigated whether this difficulty can be alleviated after the retrieval of statements describing self-images. KS patients and control participants were recruited and asked to retrieve autobiographical memories after providing statements to the question “Who am I?” and after a control condition consisting of verbal fluency. Analysis showed higher autobiographical specificity in the “Who am I?” than in verbal fluency condition in both patients with KS and control participants. At a theoretical level, our findings demonstrate how retrieval of information related to conceptual self may influence autobiographical memory in KS. At a clinical level, our procedures are important as they demonstrate how a simple task (i.e., “Who am I?” statements) may serve as a tool to cue specific autobiographical memories in patients with KS.

Impaired specific autobiographical memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment is associated with the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea

Impaired specific autobiographical memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment is associated with the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea

Phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memory in Korsakoff's syndrome.

A body of research suggests compromise of autobiographical memory in Korsakoff's syndrome (KS). The present paper extends this literature by investigating the subjective experience of autobiographical recall in the syndrome. Patients with KS and controls were asked to retrieve autobiographical memories. After memory retrieval, participants were asked to rate phenomenological characteristics of their memories (i.e., reliving, back in time, remembering, realness, visual imagery, auditory imagery, language, emotion, rehearsal, importance, spatial recall and temporal recall). Analysis showed lower "Mean Phenomenological Experience" in the Korsakoff patients than in controls. However, the Korsakoff patients attributed relatively high emotional value and importance to their memories. Although our findings suggest compromised phenomenological reliving of autobiographical memory in patients with KS, affective characteristics such as emotion and importance are likely to play a main role in the subjective experience of the past in these patients.

Wearable Cameras Are Useful Tools to Investigate and Remediate Autobiographical Memory Impairment: A Systematic PRISMA Review

Autobiographical memory, central in human cognition and every day functioning, enables past experienced events to be remembered. A variety of disorders affecting autobiographical memory are characterized by the difficulty of retrieving specific detailed memories of past personal events. Owing to the impact of autobiographical memory impairment on patients' daily life, it is necessary to better understand these deficits and develop relevant methods to improve autobiographical memory. The primary objective of the present systematic PRISMA review was to give an overview of the first empirical evidence of the potential of wearable cameras in autobiographical memory investigation in remediating autobiographical memory impairments. The peer-reviewed literature published since 2004 on the usefulness of wearable cameras in research protocols was explored in 3 databases (PUBMED, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar). Twenty-eight published studies that used a protocol involving wearable camera, either to explore wearable camera functioning and impact on daily life, or to investigate autobiographical memory processing or remediate autobiographical memory impairment, were included. This review analyzed the potential of wearable cameras for 1) investigating autobiographical memory processes in healthy volunteers without memory impairment and in clinical populations, and 2) remediating autobiographical memory in patients with various kinds of memory disorder. Mechanisms to account for the efficacy of wearable cameras are also discussed. The review concludes by discussing certain limitations inherent to using cameras, and new research perspectives. Finally, ethical issues raised by this new technology are considered.

The Specificity of Health-Related Autobiographical Memories in Patients With Somatic Symptom Disorder.

Patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) have persistent distressing somatic symptoms that are associated with excessive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (rAMS) is related to a range of emotional disorders and is considered a vulnerability factor for an unfavorable course of pathology. The present study investigated whether the specificity of health-related autobiographical memories is reduced in patients with SSD with medically unexplained dyspnea complaints, compared with healthy controls. Female patients with SSD (n = 30) and matched healthy controls (n = 24) completed a health-related Autobiographical Memory Test, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Ruminative Response Scale, and rumination scales concerning bodily reactions. Depressive symptoms and rumination were assessed because both variables previously showed associations with rAMS. Patients with SSD recalled fewer specific (F(1,52) = 13.63, p = .001) and more categoric (F(1,52) = 7.62, p = .008) autobiographical memories to health-related cue words than healthy controls. Patients also reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and rumination (all t > 3.00, p < .01). Importantly, the differences in memory specificity were independent of depressive symptoms and trait rumination. The present study extends findings on rAMS to a previously unstudied sample of patients with SSD. Importantly, the presence of rAMS could not be explained by increased levels of depressive symptoms and rumination. We submit that rAMS in this group reflects how health-related episodes and associated symptoms are encoded in memory.

Are Deficits in Social Cognition Linked to Autobiographical Memory in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease?

Abstract. We investigated theory of mind (ToM) deficits in Alzheimer‘s disease (AD) and its possible connection to autobiographical memory (ABM). Patients and matched controls were evaluated and compared using a video-based ToM test, an autobiographical fluency task, and a neuropsychological test battery. We found that ToM deficits were positively associated with semantic ABM in the clinical group, whereas a positive relationship appeared between ToM and episodic ABM in controls. We hypothesize that this reflects the course of the disease as well as that semantic ABM is used for ToM processing, being still accessible in AD. Furthermore, we assume that it is also less efficient, which in turn leads to a specific deficit profile of social cognition.

Altered self-identity and autobiographical memory in epilepsy.

Research suggests that individuals with chronic epilepsy display differences in their self-identity. The mechanisms by which self-identity is altered, however, are not well understood. Neural networks supporting autobiographical memory retrieval in the mesial temporal (MT) lobe are thought to be fundamental to self-identity processes. Thus, we examined differences in self-identity and autobiographical memory in patients with either MT or non-mesial temporal (NMT) foci with early or late age of habitual seizure onset. Participants included 102 adults: 51 healthy individuals and 51 patients with drug-resistant focal seizures (19 MT, 32 NMT). We used the Ego Identity Process Questionnaire to profile the identity development of participants, and examined how this related to memory function assessed using the Autobiographical Memory Test. Patients and controls had strikingly different self-identity profiles, with early onset MT patients showing the least identity development compared to controls and other patient groups. In contrast, late-onset NMT patients showed the highest level of identity development of the patient groups and closely resembled healthy controls (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). For all MT patients, poor autobiographical memory retrieval was correlated with altered self-identity (p < 0.001). No associations between autobiographical memory and self-identity were evident in the NMT group. Self-identity in epilepsy may be modulated by the extent to which seizure foci impinge on the autobiographical memory network and the timing of seizure onset. Early disruption to MT regions of the autobiographical memory network may constitute a neurocognitive mechanism by which self-identity is altered in chronic focal epilepsy.

Memoria autobiográfica en pacientes con epilepsia del lóbulo temporal por esclerosis hipocampal

Introducción: la epilepsia del lóbulo temporal (ELT) suele cursar con trastornos en el funcionamiento mnésico. Es probable que el paciente con epilepsia tenga dificultades en la memoria autobiográfica, principalmente en los casos donde la etiología es la esclerosis hipocampal (EH).&#x0D; Objetivo: determinar las posibles alteraciones de la memoria autobiográfica en los pacientes con epilepsia del lóbulo temporal por esclerosis hipocampal, en comparación con personas sanas.&#x0D; Material y métodos: la muestra estuvo conformada por 25 pacientes con diagnóstico electroclínico e imagenalógico de ELT por EH y fue contrastada con 15 controles sanos. A los pacientes que previamente habían sido valorados por neurología y neuropsicología, se les suministró la Entrevista de Memoria Autobiográfica para valorar el desempeño en memoria personal semántica e incidentes autobiográficos. Para la comparación de los pacientes frente a los controles en memoria autobiográfica, se utilizó la prueba U de Mann Whitney y se calculó el tamaño del efecto no paramétrico.&#x0D; Resultados: los pacientes presentaron dificultades en el recuerdo de la información personal semántica de los últimos cinco años y marcadas alteraciones en el recuerdo de incidentes autobiográficos relacionados con la niñez, la adultez y la vida reciente.&#x0D; Conclusión: los resultados confirman las dificultades que los pacientes con ELT por EH presentan en la activación de rastros de memoria en el hipocampo para la evocación y re-experimentación detallada de los incidentes autobiográficos de toda su historia personal.

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy with respect to psychological symptoms and recovering autobiographical memory in patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

ObjectivesGiven the persistence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its major impact on everyday life, it is important to identify effective treatments. In additional to pharmacological treatments, psychotherapeutic treatments are also highly effective. The aim of the present study was to investigate, among a sample of patients suffering from PTSD, the influence of an additional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on their symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and on autobiographical memory.MethodsA total of 40 patients suffering from PTSD (mean age: 31.64 years; 78.6% female patients) and under psychopharmacological treatment were randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition. The intervention consisted of ten group sessions (one 60–90 minute session per week) of CBT. At baseline and 10 weeks later, a series of self-rating and experts’-rating questionnaires were completed.ResultsOver time, symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety decreased; however, greater improvement was observed in the experimental than the control condition. Likewise, as a general pattern of results, memory performance improved over time, though again this improvement was greater in the experimental condition.ConclusionCompared to a control condition, additional CBT improves the treatment of PTSD, with respect to both symptoms and autobiographical memory.