Autobiographical Memory Interview Research Articles

BEHAVIORAL METHODS EMPLOYED TO INVESTIGATE THE STRUCTURE OF AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMORIES

Memory research conducted in laboratories require controlled experiments in order to eliminate the confounding factors that can affect memory retrieval. However autobiographical memories require the retrieval of distant memories which are most of the time not verifiable. Due to the differences related to Autobiographical memory these controlled experiments cannot be used and different methods are required. Cue word technique, diary studies, recording event by using devices, Autobiographical Memory Interview and Autobiographical Interview are some of the behavioral methods employed for Autobiographical memory research. These methods have both some advantages and some disadvantages, which should be considered before they are used. The findings from the studies employing these methods indicated that Autobiographical memory has a hierarchical organization, it consists of a sementic component and an episodic component, and some of the cues are ineffective for the retrieval of autobiographical memories. Most of these methods can also be employed in research investigating the impaired components of autobiographical memory for patients with memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. In this review the bahavioral methods empleyed to investigate the structure of Autobiographical memories will be explored. First the differences of autobiographical memory from memory investigated in laboratory and the need for different methods in autobiographical memory research will be mentioned. Then behavioral methods to investigate the structure of Autobiographical memory, how they are used and the findings obtained from these studies seperately and in common will be discussed.

The influence of electroconvulsive therapy on reconsolidation of autobiographical memories: A retrospective quasi-experimental study in patients with depression

Background/ObjectiveElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for treatment-resistant and psychotic depression. One previously reported side effect of ECT is the disruption of memory reconsolidation. This study examines whether this disruption induced by ECT can be detected in routine neuropsychological assessments. MethodsIn this retrospective study, the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) was applied before and after ECT. Memories of the same events and facts were tested pre and post ECT treatments. 38 patients, receiving ECT for the treatment of unipolar or bipolar depression, were matched for age, sex, and stimulus intensity and divided into two groups: Group A was tested on the day before the first ECT treatment, whereas group B two or more days before. ResultsPatients who were tested by AMI on the day before ECT and thus reactivated memorie shortly before the first ECT treatment deteriorated in AMI score. Patients who had at least two days between memory activation and treatment improved regarding the number of recalled memories. Memory impairment was not associated with depression severity. ConclusionThis finding suggests that ECT might be capable of impairing reconsolidation. The study demonstrates that memories of personal events can potentially be affected by ECT within a time interval of 24 h of memory vulnerability after reactivation. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Working Memory, Rumination, and Autobiographical Memory Specificity Impairment

Objectives: Specificity impairment is a memory alteration that occurs in people with major depressive disorder (MDD). In this investigation, we intended to shine a light on obscure aspects of executive resource and capture and rumination frameworks to determine whether these theories are reliable in predicting underlying mechanisms for specificity impairment. Methods: In this correlational research, we used the convenience sampling method over two months, between January and February 2021. We administrated the digit span working memory test, ruminative response scale (RRS), and autobiographical memory interview to indicate whether working memory capacity and subtypes of rumination can predict memory specificity in people with MDD. Using RRS enabled us to determine the correlation between subtypes of rumination and memory specificity. Results: Our samples consisted of 105 adults (53 males (50.5%) and 52 females (49.5%)) with MDD. The participants’ mean age was 33.38 years with a range of 22-43 years. The results no significant difference between gender, marriage, and age groups in terms of memory specificity (P>0.05). The results of the Spearman correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis showed that only working memory capacity can predict memory specificity (r=0.216, p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between brooding and reflection, as two subtypes of rumination and memory specificity. Discussion: In line with our results, it should be stated that depression is accompanied by executive deficits, which result in memory impairments. These impairments are due to the structural and functional alterations in the brain in the depressed group. As the Carfax model emphasized, working memory capacity is not only required to maintain, define, and hold the optimal retrieval model but it is also crucial to inhibit interfering autobiographical information. Nonetheless, neither brooding nor reflection rumination can predict memory specificity. Therefore, memory capacity is probably occupied due to ineffective search strategies, not rumination.

Episodic Memory in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Comparison with Healthy Controls

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is identified by intrusive thoughts and related compulsive behaviors. Memory complaints are controversial among obsessive-compulsive disorder patients. Objectives: The present study compared verbal, visual, episodic, and semantic memory between obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and healthy controls. Methods: This is a case-control study. The participants included 31 newly diagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder outpatients and 30 healthy controls. The patients were selected using targeted sampling from Emam Reza Polyclinic, affiliated with blinded for peer review. They responded to a demographic checklist, structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), verbal and visual episodic memory from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), and autobiographical memory interview (AMI). Results: The results indicated that patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared with the controls had lower scores in visual (P = 0.0001), verbal (P = 0.006), semantic (P = 0.3), and episodic memory (P = 0.001). Conclusions: All types of memory which were evaluated in the present study were impaired in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Memory impairment might explain the psychiatric symptoms of the disorder.

How to measure autobiographical amnesia: time to upgrade the CUAMI?

AbstractAutobiographical memory loss is a common complaint of patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, reliable measurement of autobiographical memory loss after ECT is still a subject of debate. In the 1990s, the Colombia University Autobiographical Memory Interview (CUAMI) was developed specifically to monitor changes in autobiographical memory during a course of ECT. However, this instrument has been criticized due to the lack of psychometric data. In this talk, we will discuss the experiences of administrators and preliminary results of a study into the psychometric properties of the CUAMI. Is the CUAMI useful to test autobiographical memory after ECT or could it use an upgrade?Disclosure of Interest B. Isidoor Grant / Research support from: Isidoor Bergfeld works on a clinical trial of DBS for depression sponsored by Boston Scientific (in kind). He also received grants from ZonMw and Amsterdam Brain and Cognition for studies on DBS and ECT

Content validity for an autobiographical interview for older adults.

To validate a proposal for an autobiographical interview oriented to the typical older adult. Questions for a semi-structured autobiographical memory interview were designed and a protocol for its application was developed. Fourteen Speech and Language Pathologists judges and 14 older adults were used. Additionally, 2 interviews were conducted. Subsequently, content validity was obtained by means of Lawshe's classic procedure. Also, using a complementary evaluation for comprehensibility and length of the interview, as well as a data triangulation procedure with the judges and participants of the pilot experience. Of the 22 items evaluated, only 4 were above the critical reference value (0.49). The need to incorporate this measure of analysis in the context of respect, identity and agency of older adults is discussed as part of a change in thinking under the gaze of person-centered care and a communicative competence model. As well as the need to incorporate different cultural paradigms and the use of digital technologies.

Validez de contenido para una entrevista autobiográfica para adultos mayores

ABSTRACT Purpose To validate a proposal for an autobiographical interview oriented to the typical older adult. Methods Questions for a semi-structured autobiographical memory interview were designed and a protocol for its application was developed. Fourteen Speech and Language Pathologists judges and 14 older adults were used. Additionally, 2 interviews were conducted. Subsequently, content validity was obtained by means of Lawshe's classic procedure. Also, using a complementary evaluation for comprehensibility and length of the interview, as well as a data triangulation procedure with the judges and participants of the pilot experience. Results Of the 22 items evaluated, only 4 were above the critical reference value (0.49). Conclusion The need to incorporate this measure of analysis in the context of respect, identity and agency of older adults is discussed as part of a change in thinking under the gaze of person-centered care and a communicative competence model. As well as the need to incorporate different cultural paradigms and the use of digital technologies.

Autobiographical memory loss in Alzheimer's disease: The role of the reminiscence bump

Research on autobiographical memory loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by conflicting findings concerning a possible sparing of older memories. The literature shows evidence for both a negative temporal gradient, a flat gradient and a reminiscence bump – that is, a disproportionally high frequency of memories from early adulthood relative to surrounding periods. Here, we expanded the number of lifetime periods of the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI; Kopelman, Wilson & Baddeley, 1989, 1990) from the standard three to seven in order to increase the sensitivity of the test to variations in the temporal distribution of autobiographical memories across the life span. Twenty-five older adults diagnosed with AD (MMMSE = 21.16, SD = 5.08) and a matched sample of 30 healthy, older adults were assessed. The temporal distribution for personal semantic information in AD showed a temporal gradient steadily decreasing from middle childhood to present life, consistent with predictions derived from consolidation theories. In comparison, the temporal distribution of incidents/episodic memories produced by AD patients in response to the expanded AMI showed a predominance of autobiographical memories from age 6 to 30, followed by a steep drop in memory referring to events that had occurred after age 30. This distribution challenges standard theories of retrograde amnesia in AD by showing neither a temporal gradient, decreasing progressively from early to later life, nor a flat gradient. In contrast, the distribution is consistent with the reminiscence bump identified in autobiographical memory research. Schematization and retrieval support provided by cultural life scripts are discussed.

Reminiscence groupwork and autobiographical memory as part of meaningful activities

The current paper describes a reminiscence group activity session held as part of meaningful activities engagement for older adults. Topics of reminiscence included both autobiographical memories and memories of broader historical events from the past. Participants included those with memory impairment and those without, and participants with healthy memory were helpful in prompting memories in participants with memory impairment. Semantic and episodic autobiographical memory were assessed at baseline and following the end of both group activities, using the Episodic Autobiographical Memory Interview (EAMI) and quality of life was assessed using the Quality of Life AD-scale (QOL-AD). The reminiscence intervention did not significantly affect autobiographical memory recall or quality of life. However, oral reminiscence was reported to have increased outside of the reminiscence sessions.

Performance on autobiographical memory tests measuring contextual details is impaired in subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment

AbstractBackgroundThe neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) occur many years prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. Subjective memory decline can occur during this phase, but no standardized, clinically usable neuropsychological tests are currently able to detect such changes. Autobiographical memory (AM) tests tap a brain network affected in “preclinical” AD. The aim of this study was to investigate whether AM test performance was impaired in persons with Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) and in persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild dementia due to AD.MethodWe included 17 SCD patients diagnosed according to international SCD criteria, 17 amnestic MCI (aMCI) patients, and 17 patients with mild dementia due to AD. A group of 30 healthy controls was also examined. All participants were ≥ 45 years old and had MMSE scores of ≥ 24. AM was assessed using the Columbia Autobiographical Memory Interview – Short Form (CAMI‐SF) and an instrument, which we named the 3 Events Test. Both measure the specificity of AM and the ability to provide details about personal experiences. We also applied cognitive and neuropsychiatric screening tests and a traditional neuropsychological battery.ResultFor the 3 Events Test, a significant effect of group was found. Post‐hoc testing showed that participants with SCD, aMCI, or mild AD produced significantly fewer contextual details than the healthy controls. An ANOVA also showed a significant effect of group for the CAMI‐SF, and post‐hoc testing showed that the aMCI and mild AD groups were able to answer fewer questions or gave less detailed answers compared to the other groups. The total scores on the CAMI‐SF were lower in the SCD group than in the control group, but the difference was not significant.ConclusionAM was compromised in SCD, aMCI, and mild AD, as reflected by lower scores on the 3 Events Test compared to the control group. Thus, AM may be impaired in very early AD – even in the phases where standard episodic memory tests show no decline. AM tests could be useful in the attempt to verify subjective memory problems, and a decline on such a test could indicate later cognitive decline.

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.

Inflammatory Markers May Inform the Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Cognition in Patients with Depression

Introduction: The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the acute cognitive effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remain poorly understood. Prior research has shown that proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, IL1-β, and IL-10 may interfere with cognitive functioning. Interestingly, immunomodulation is one of the proposed modes of action of ECT. This study investigates whether changes of peripheral levels of IL-6, TNF-α, IL1-β, and IL-10 are related to changes in cognitive functioning following ECT. Methods: In the week before and 1 week after an acute course of ECT, 62 patients suffering from depression underwent a neuropsychological evaluation to assess their processing speed using the Symbol Digit Substitution Test (SDST), verbal episodic memory using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), and their retrospective autobiographic memory using the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) with the peripheral inflammatory markers being measured at the same 2 time points. Results: Patients improved drastically following ECT, while their main performance on both the HVLT-R and AMI declined and their SDST scores remained stable. The levels of IL-6 and IL1-β had both decreased, where the decrease in IL-6 was related to the decrease in HVLT-R scores. Higher baseline IL-10 levels were associated with a more limited decrease of the HVLT-R scores. Conclusion: Our findings tentatively suggest that the effects of ECT on verbal episodic memory may be related to the treatment’s immunomodulatory properties, most notably due to decreased IL-6 levels. Moreover, baseline IL-10 appears to be a potential biomarker to predict the effects of ECT on verbal episodic memory. Whilst compelling, the results of this study should be interpreted with caution as, due to its exploratory nature, no correction for multiple comparisons was made. Further, a replication in larger cohorts is warranted.

Development of an autobiographical memory test for older electroconvulsive therapy candidates.

To develop a test of autobiographical memory for monitoring of older people during a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). A list of events commonly experienced in later life was gathered from older people (n = 26) at a psychogeriatric day clinic and from psychiatrists (n = 23) who work with older depressed patients. The most common events were chosen as question domains for an autobiographical memory interview. This was piloted with 12 severely depressed older patients. A list of 15 common life events was developed. After pilot testing, a final 30-item questionnaire covering six common life events was proposed. This study developed an autobiographical memory test with good face validity and potential for clinical use. It was modelled on a well-validated scale (The Columbia University Autobiographical Memory Interview, CUAMI-SF) and represented a useful first step in the development of a test for memory loss in older patients receiving ECT. The proposed test may be particularly sensitive to autobiographical memory loss in older people undergoing ECT because it uses recent personal memories, which are relatively commonly experienced in the older depressed population.

Autobiographical Memory and Social Identity in Autism: Preliminary Results of Social Positioning and Cognitive Intervention.

Autobiographical memory (AM) is closely linked to the self-concept, and fulfills directive, identity, social, and adaptive functions. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are now known to have atypical AM, which may be closely associated with social communication difficulties. This may result in qualitatively different autobiographical narratives, notably regarding social identity. In the present study, we sought to investigate this concept and develop a cognitive intervention targeting individuals with ASD. First, 13 adolescents with ASD and 13 typically developing adolescents underwent an AM interview featuring an original coding system designed to analyze the social self. We observed that the narratives produced by the ASD group focused more on the family than on extended social spheres, compared with those of the comparison group. Moreover, participants with ASD did not include themselves in the social groups they mentioned, and produced more references to others, compared with typically developing participants. Second, we designed a cognitive intervention program consisting of individual and group sessions that targeted AM. We conducted a pilot study among three adolescents with ASD aged 12, 16, and 17 years. Preliminary results showed that the program increased extra-family narrative references by the two youngest adolescents, who produced more social integration markers. Our study of autobiographical narratives yielded interesting findings about social positioning in ASD and showed how AM can be targeted in rehabilitation programs as a vector of social interaction.

Differences on autobiographical memory in healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease

AbstractBackgroundAutobiographical memory (AM) refers to memories from one’s past that are characterized by a sense of subjective time and autonoetic consciousness which involves a feeling of re‐experiencing or reliving the past. Cognitive aging research indicates age‐related deficits in episodic AM, whereas semantic AM is unimpaired in healthy older adults. Regarding research involving subjects with dementia had showed that episodic memories deteriorate rapidly in Alzheimer's disease (AD), whereas semantic memories are preserved until moderate stages. This study aims to compare healthy older adults and AD patients, on the type of AM in order to identify differences between the groups.MethodThirty patients with initial AD, and 46 healthy older participants matched on age and education took part in the present study. Participants underwent a neurological and neuropsychological assessment. To evaluated AM, Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) was applied. AMI is a semi‐structured interview, applicable to subjects from 18 years old, that evaluates the two components of AM: semantic and episodic. For the study, MANOVA was performed to determine whether there were differences between groups on AM components.ResultThe multivariate contrasts revealed a main effect of group (Λ = .701; F(2, 73) = 85.57; p < .001). Therefore, post hoc Tukey tests were performed for each dependent variable, and significant differences were obtained on all the measures studied. Healthy older people obtained higher score than AD on the episodic AM (F(1, 75) = 8.14; p < .001) and on semantic AM (F(1, 75) = 164.5; p < .001).ConclusionAutobiographical recall in AD is mainly characterized by a substantial loss of episodic and semantic information, leading to a decontextualization of autobiographical memories and a shift from mentally reliving past events to a general sense of familiarity. This decline is exacerbated by anterograde and retrograde amnesia, leaving AD patients with limited access to memories that shape self‐consciousness, self‐knowledge, and self‐images.

A two-site, open-label, non-randomized trial comparing Focal Electrically-Administered Seizure Therapy (FEAST) and right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy (RUL-UBP ECT)

BackgroundFocal Electrically-Administered Seizure Therapy (FEAST) is a form of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) that spatially focuses the electrical stimulus to initiate seizure activity in right prefrontal cortex. Two open-label non-comparative studies suggested that FEAST has reduced cognitive side effects when compared to historical data from other forms of ECT. In two different ECT clinics, we compared the efficacy and cognitive side effects of FEAST and Right Unilateral Ultrabrief Pulse (RUL-UBP) ECT. MethodsUsing a non-randomized, open-label design, 39 depressed adults were recruited after referral for ECT. Twenty patients received FEAST (14 women; age 45.2 ± 12.7), and 19 received RUL-UBP ECT (16 women; age 43.2 ± 16.4). Key cognitive outcome measures were the postictal time to reorientation and the Columbia University Autobiographical Memory Interview: Short-Form (CUAMI-SF). Antidepressant effects were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD24). ResultsIn the Intent-to-treat sample, a repeated measures mixed model suggested no between group difference in HRSD24 score over time (F1,35 = 0.82, p = 0.37), while the response rate favored FEAST (FEAST: 65%; RUL-UBP ECT: 57.9%), and the remission rate favored RUL-UBP ECT (FEAST: 35%; RUL-UBP ECT: 47.4%). The FEAST group had numeric superiority in average time to reorientation (FEAST: 6.6 ± 5.0 min; RUL-UBP ECT: 8.8 ± 5.8 min; Cohens d = 0.41), and CUAMI-SF consistency score (FEAST: 69.2 ± 14.2%; RUL-UBP ECT: 63.9 ± 9.9%; Cohens d = 0.43); findings that failed to meet statistical significance. ConclusionsFEAST exerts similar efficacy relative to an optimal form of conventional ECT and may have milder cognitive side effects. A blinded, randomized, non-inferiority trial is needed.

A multi-method comparison of autobiographical memory impairments amongst younger and older adults

Objectives: Research indicates that, compared to younger adults, older adults have difficulty recalling memories of specific past events (those lasting less than 24 h) and this difficulty is associated with depression. These studies are largely confined to a single measure of specific memory recall and there are conflicting findings when alternative measures are used. This investigation provides the first comparison of memory specificity between younger and older adults using several different measures.Method: Older (n = 105) and younger (n = 88) adults completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) and Sentence Completion for Events from the Past Test (SCEPT) and the number of specific memories was quantified for each measure. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory Version II (BDI-II).Results: Compared to younger adults, older adults recalled fewer specific memories in the AMT and more specific memories in the AMI. This latter effect was particularly pronounced for memories related to childhood. There was no group difference in responses in the SCEPT. There was no evidence of an association between memory specificity and depression for any of the measures.Conclusion: Older adults have difficulty retrieving specific memories after cuing by nouns and adjectives, as in the AMT, but they have enhanced recall of specific memories after cuing by life periods, as in the AMI, and this is particularly true of memories related to childhood. Individual differences in memory specificity are not related to depression symptoms in healthy samples.

Autobiographical memory in epileptic patients after temporal lobe resection or bitemporal hippocampal sclerosis.

The human hippocampus is believed to be a crucial node in the neural network supporting autobiographical memory retrieval. Structural mesial temporal damage associated with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) provides an opportunity to systematically investigate and better understand the local and distal functional consequences of mesial temporal damage in the engagement of the autobiographical memory network. We examined 19 TLE patients (49.21 ± 11.55years; 12 females) with unilateral mesial TLE (MTLE; 12 with anterior temporal lobe resection: 6 right MTLE, 6 left MTLE) or bilateral mesial TLE (7 BMTLE) and 18 matched healthy subjects. We used functional MRI (fMRI) with an adapted autobiographical memory paradigm and a specific neuropsychological test (Autobiographical Memory Interview, AMI). While engaged in the fMRI autobiographical memory paradigm, all groups activated a large fronto-temporo-parietal network. However, while this network was left lateralized for healthy participants and right MTLE patients, left MTLE and patients with BMTLE also showed strong activation in right temporal and frontal regions. Moreover, BMTLE and left MTLE patients also showed significant mild deficits in episodic autobiographical memory performance measured with the AMI test. The right temporal and extra-temporal fMRI activation, along with the impairment in autobiographical memory retrieval found in left MTLE and BMTLE patients suggest that alternate brain areas-other than the hippocampus-may also support this process, possibly due to neuroplastic effects.

Autobiographical Memory From Different Life Stages in Individuals With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Autobiographical memory dysfunction is a marker of vulnerability to depression. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience high rates of depression and memory impairment, and autobiographical memory impairments have been observed compared to healthy controls; however, these groups were not age-matched. This study aimed to determine whether individuals with untreated OSA have impaired autobiographical memory when compared to age-matched controls, and to assess the quality of autobiographical memories from three broad time points. A total of 44 participants with OSA (M age=49.4±13.0) and 44 age-matched controls (M age=50.0±13.1) completed the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) to assess semantic and episodic memories from three different life stages, and 44 OSA participants and 37 controls completed the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) to assess overgeneral memory recall (an inability to retrieve specific memories). OSA participants had significantly poorer semantic recall of early adult life on the AMI (p<.001), and more overgeneral autobiographical memories recalled on the AMT (=.001), than controls. Poor semantic recall from early adult life was significantly correlated with more depressive symptoms (p=0.006) and lower education (p<0.02), while higher overgeneral memory recall was significantly associated with older age (p=.001). A specific deficit in semantic autobiographical recall was observed in individuals with OSA. OSA patients recalled more overgeneral memories, suggesting that aspects of the sleep disorder affect their ability to recollect specific details of events from their life. These cognitive features of OSA may contribute to the high incidence of depression in this population. (JINS 2019, 25, 266-274).

Retrograde Autobiographical Memory From PTA Emergence to Six-Month Follow-Up in Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

The overwhelming focus of research on memory following traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been on anterograde amnesia, and very little attention has been paid to retrograde amnesia. There is evidence to suggest that retrograde autobiographical memory deficits exist after severe TBI, although there have been no prospective studies of autobiographical memory in a representative sample of moderate to severe cases recruited from hospital admissions. The purpose of the present study was to report changes in autobiographical memory performance among a group of patients soon after emergence from posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) and at the 6-month follow-up compared with a healthy control (HC) group. The authors also examined associations with anterograde memory function and community integration to assist in understanding the functional impact of autobiographical memory deficits and potential underlying mechanisms. The Autobiographical Memory Interview and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test were used as measures of retrograde and anterograde memory, respectively, and the Community Integration Questionnaire was used as a measure of functional outcome in the TBI group. The results demonstrated that both personal semantic and episodic autobiographical memory scores were impaired following emergence from PTA and at the 6-month follow-up. Only subtle differences emerged in change over time in different injury severity groups. Recent retrograde memory function was associated with anterograde memory performance, which supports some degree of overlap in underlying mechanisms. The findings suggest that autobiographical memory deficits are prevalent following moderate to severe TBI and warrant consideration in rehabilitation.