Autobiographical Memory Research Articles

Autobiographical memory phenomenology in transgender and cisgender individuals

ABSTRACT Transgender individuals face challenges to identity as they transition from their sex assigned at birth to their affirmed gender. Memories may support a sense of self through the recall of events with more phenomenological detail than others, making them feel closer to the current self. Autobiographical memories of 90 transgender and 90 cisgender adults were compared on self-reported memory phenomenology. Memory phenomenology was more variable in transgender individuals, with a larger difference between phenomenological ratings of recent and distant memories. Memory phenomenology specifically varied in relation to the timing of coming out to a parent. High points reported after this time were rated with higher phenomenological quality and these ratings were linked to positive well-being. Results affirm the relevance of phenomenological continuity to the identity of transgender individuals, suggesting that events from before coming out are recalled with less phenomenological quality than events after coming out.

Cerebellar Contributions to Traumatic Autobiographical Memory in People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition characterized by recurrent re-experiencing of traumatic events. Despite increasing evidence suggesting that the cerebellum is involved in PTSD pathophysiology, it remains unclear whether this involvement is related to symptoms directly resulting from previous trauma exposure, such as involuntary re-experiencing of the traumatic events, or reflects a broader cerebellar engagement in negative affective states. In this study, we investigated the specific role of the cerebellum in PTSD by employing a script reactivation paradigm with personalized traumatic and sad autobiographical memories in 28 individuals diagnosed with chronic PTSD. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected while participants listened to their own autobiographical narratives recounted by a third person. Activation in the right cerebellar lobule VI was uniquely associated with traumatic autobiographical recall and was parametrically modulated by the severity of re-experiencing symptoms. In contrast, cerebellar Crus II showed increased activation during both traumatic and sad autobiographical recall, suggesting a broader involvement in processing negative emotions. Our findings highlight the unique contribution of the right cerebellar lobule VI in the processing of traumatic autobiographical memories, potentially through its engagement in low-level representation of sensory and emotional aspects of traumatic events.

Autobiographical memories in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review

Autobiographical memories in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review

Semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming: the role of cue repetition

ABSTRACT It is now well established that general information processing causes the activation of memories in the autobiographical memory system, and these memories on occasion emerge as involuntary autobiographical memories. This priming phenomenon has been dubbed semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming, and our goal in the current study was to examine the effects of cue/prime repetition on the production of involuntary autobiographical memories that were primed with semantic stimuli. In three experiments, participants were primed with words (e.g., cat), and then they were given an involuntary memory task (the vigilance task), which contained cues related to the primed stimuli. In Experiment 1, the cues were phrases containing the primes (e.g., getting a cat), which were presented one or five times. In Experiment 2, the cues were also phrases containing the primes (e.g., getting a cat), but they changed their context (e.g., feeding a cat), every time they repeated in the five-presentation condition. Experiment 3 also presented the cues one or five times, but the cues were replicas of the primes (e.g., cat). Consistent with predictions, greater priming was found in the five-presentation cue conditions in all three experiments, and Experiment 3 failed to find priming in the one-presentation cue condition, also consistent with predictions. We explain the findings in terms of semantic-to-autobiographical memory priming theory, and also argue that the results help explain the production of involuntary memories in everyday life.

Neuroimaging of autobiographical memory in dementia with Lewy bodies: a story of insula.

Although deficits in learning and retrieving new information are well characterized in dementia with Lewy bodies, autobiographical memory has never been explored in this disease. Yet, autobiographical memory impairments are a pervasive feature of dementia, well characterized in other neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, autobiographical memory corresponds to an extension over time of the self, which we hypothesize is altered in dementia with Lewy bodies and impairment of which could be linked to the insular atrophy occurring from an early stage of the disease. In this study, we sought to characterize autobiographical memory impairments and explore their neural correlates in dementia with Lewy bodies, on the assumption that insular damage could impact the self, including its most elaborate components, such as autobiographical memory. Twenty patients with prodromal to mild dementia with Lewy bodies were selected to participate in this exploratory study along with 20 healthy control subjects. The Autobiographical Interview was used to assess autobiographical memory. Performances were compared between patients and control subjects, and an analysis across life periods and recall conditions was performed. 3D magnetic resonance images were acquired for all participants, and correlational analyses were performed in the patient group using voxel-based morphometry. The behavioural results of the Autobiographical Interview showed that autobiographical memory performances were significantly impaired in dementia with Lewy body patients compared to control subjects in a temporally ungraded manner, for both the free recall and the specific probe conditions (P < 0.0001), though with greater improvement after probing in the patient group. Furthermore, autobiographical memory impairments were correlated with grey matter volume within right insular cortex, temporoparietal junction, precuneus, putamen, left temporal cortex, bilateral parahippocampus and cerebellum, using a threshold of P = 0.005 uncorrected. The behavioural results confirm the existence of temporally ungraded autobiographical memory impairments in dementia with Lewy bodies, from the early stage of the disease. As we expected, neuroimaging analysis revealed a role for the insula and the precuneus in autobiographical memory retrieval, two regions associated with elementary aspects of the self, among other brain regions classically associated with autobiographical memory, such as medial temporal lobe and temporoparietal junction. Our findings provide important insights regarding the involvement of the insula in the self and suggest that insular damage could lead to a global collapse of the self, including its more elaborated components, such as autobiographical memory.

Individuals who rarely adopt observer perspectives report richer scene-based autobiographical memories

For most people, the capacity to adopt alternative visual perspectives when remembering emerges spontaneously due to the reconstructive nature of memories. Particularly as memories become more remote and are vulnerable to distortions, there is a shift in the perspective of memories from own eyes to observer-like views. Yet not all individuals report adopting novel perspectives in memories. The current study examines how self-reported differences in adopting an observer-like perspective influences autobiographical memory retrieval. Participants who reported rarely adopting an observer-like perspective had a diminished shift in perspective with memory remoteness and reported richer scene-related aspects of remembering. Additionally, the reduced tendency to use observer-like perspectives during autobiographical memory retrieval was linked to more accurate spatial visualization on a standardized objective test. Together these findings offer insights into individual differences in the malleability of memories, and the central role that maintaining our original perspective plays in preserving the personal past.

Exploring the Application of Digital Nostalgia System in Dementia Care from the Perspective of Narrative Gerontology

In recent years, modern medical technology has advanced significantly, increasing the average lifespan of Taiwanese individuals. However, dementia, a common disease among the elderly, has also become more prevalent. The cognitive decline caused by dementia can severely impact the physical, mental, and spiritual health of patients. This study aimed to explore the impact of using digital nostalgia technology to provide cognitive stimulation for patients with dementia, specifically through the use of the "Recall" system developed by our research team. We analyzed the narrative context of patients and employed a pre-test and post-test experimental design, inviting five mild dementia patients to participate. The research methodology mainly involved qualitative research, and we conducted semi-structured interviews with patients using nostalgic photos, divided into four topics: personal background description, most memorable experiences, specific themes, and personal photo sharing. We used NVivo qualitative analysis software to analyze the interview transcripts by coding and classifying the nodes to explore the differences in the patient's narrative context before and after the intervention. This study found that patients participating in the digital experimental activities were more eager to share their old photos. These stimulated memories and led to good subjectivity, continuity, coherence, and correspondence with autobiographical memory. Compared with the non-digital group, patients in the digital group were more willing to share their memories and stories from the past, and they provided positive feedback on the presentation of digital photos and the use of Taiwanese voiceovers. In terms of narrative context, this study identified six main narrative contexts, including contentment, achievement, positivity, social interaction, family affection, and instability. Most patients focused on the "contentment," "family affection," and "achievement" parts. This study can serve as a useful reference for applying digital nostalgia technology to improve the quality of life and mental health of dementia patients, as it provides a deeper understanding of their narrative content and needs.

Specificity and integration of meaning in self-defining memories of breast cancer survivors: clinical reflections to promote a narrative identity integration.

Potential traumatic events, such as breast cancer, can influence autobiographical memory (AM), interrupting the continuity of narrative identity. AM is based on a hierarchical search across different levels of specificity that are indexed from top to bottom when a memory is retrieved. In the breast cancer field, non-specific AMs are an observed clinical phenomenon. In particular, breast cancer survivors report issues related to self-defining memories (SDMs), specific and significant AMs that evoke strong emotions and sensory details at the time of memory. SDMs are linked to life goals and facilitate adaptation to critical experiences, preserving the continuity of identity. This study explored the narrative identity integration process of breast cancer survivors, analyzing themes, specificity, and integrative meaning in SDMs. Ten women participated in an online group support program centered on the integration of AMs linked to the cancer journey. Participants were asked to assess their body image perceptions, filling out an online survey three times, in which they had to report three SDMs each time. A reflexive thematic analysis of the SDMs identified three main themes: the onset of breast cancer; the labeling of negative emotions, and changes in the body. The results indicated inhibited retrieval of specific episodes, fostering a progressive failure in memory characterization and the concurrent meaning-making process. Participants struggled with connecting the memories to insights regarding their self and life, as well as relating the memories to external conditions and other individuals. Further studies might examine the impact of these difficulties on the psychological adjustment of BC long-term survivors. They could also explore cognitive reconstruction by reframing the memories and re-evaluating their traumatic meanings.

Remembering history: Autobiographical memory for the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, psychological adjustment, and their relation over time.

This longitudinal study examined age- and gender-related differences in autobiographical memory about the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and whether the content of these memories predicted psychological adjustment over time. A sample of 247 students (Mage = 11.94, range 8-16 years, 51.4% female, 85.4% White) was recruited from public and private schools in Denmark and assessed three times from June 2020 to June 2021. The findings showed that memories weakened over time in detail and emotional valence. Additionally, psychological well-being decreased over time, with adolescent females faring the worst. Critically, memories including higher levels of negative affect and factual information about COVID-19 and the lockdown predicted worse psychological well-being over time, underscoring aspects of autobiographical memory that might help attenuate the negative consequences of the lockdown.

The Effects of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Distraction, and Rumination on State Anger Using the Autobiographical Essay Memory Task

ABSTRACT Given the many negative outcomes of anger, including physical aggression and violence, there is a need to improve treatment outcomes. As such, several treatment approaches were evaluated in this study. The autobiographical essay memory task (AEMT) was given to 157 participants on Amazon’s Mturk. Using a four (intervention) by three (state anger) mixed design, participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: control group (a distraction task), rumination, self-help Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), or progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). All participants were instructed to write an anger-evoking memory for ten minutes. Following this, participants were then asked to partake in their respective intervention. Using the State Anger Scale from the State-Trait Anger Expression-2, state anger was measured at baseline, after writing about the anger-evoking memory, and post-intervention. As expected, there was a significant difference across the three time points, p < .001, η2 = .30. Once the AEMT was completed, participants received an intervention. Participants indicated lower levels of state anger post-intervention compared to post-AEMT, p < .001; however, participants post-intervention still reported higher levels of state anger compared to baseline, p < .001. Using the LSD post-hoc test, participants in the rumination condition reported higher levels of state anger post-intervention compared to participants who engaged in PMR (p < .001), self-help REBT (p = .04), and the control condition (p < .001). There were no significant differences noted between PMR, self-help REBT, and the control conditions post-intervention. The AEMT was an effective tool to evoke state anger in a lab setting. Additionally, self-help REBT, PMR, and distraction are effective tools to decrease state anger.

The Influence of Instructional Constraints and Cognitive Control on the Positivity Bias and the Positivity Effect in Autobiographical Memory.

The positivity effect and the positivity bias were examined in voluntary and involuntary autobiographical memories in a sample of younger (n = 69, Mage = 23.2) and older adults (n = 57, Mage = 67.72). The positivity effect has been shown to be sensitive to instructional constraints and cognitive resources. Instructions were manipulated in the voluntary autobiographical memory condition such that participants were instructed to retrieve memories with different levels of constraints. Participants also completed two measures of cognitive control and an assessment of future time perspective. There was no evidence of the positivity effect or positivity bias once depressive symptoms were included as a covariate in the analyses, nor did cognitive control influence memory valence. Future time perspective did not mediate the relationship between age and memory valence. These results suggest that additional research should focus on potential variables that may influence the positivity effect and bias within autobiographical memories.

Translation of monosynaptic circuits underlying amygdala fMRI neurofeedback training.

fMRI neurofeedback using autobiographical memory recall to upregulate the amygdala is associated with resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes between the amygdala and the salience and default mode networks (SN and DMN, respectively). We hypothesize the existence of anatomical circuits underlying these rsFC changes. Using a cross-species brain parcellation, we identified in non-human primates locations homologous to the regions of interest (ROIs) from studies showing pre-to-post-neurofeedback changes in rsFC with the left amygdala. We injected bidirectional tracers in the basolateral, lateral, and central amygdala nuclei of adult macaques and used bright- and dark-field microscopy to identify cells and axon terminals in each ROI (SN: anterior cingulate, ventrolateral, and insular cortices; DMN: temporal pole, middle frontal gyrus, angular gyrus, precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, and thalamus). We also performed additional injections in specific ROIs to validate the results following amygdala injections and delineate potential disynaptic pathways. Finally, we used high-resolution diffusion MRI data from four post-mortem macaque brains and one in vivo human brain to translate our findings to the neuroimaging domain. Different amygdala nuclei had significant monosynaptic connections with all the SN and DMN ipsilateral ROIs. Amygdala connections with the DMN contralateral ROIs are disynaptic through the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus. Diffusion MRI in both species benefitted from using the ground-truth tracer data to validate its findings, as we identified false-negative ipsilateral and false-positive contralateral connectivity results. This study provides the foundation for future causal investigations of amygdala neurofeedback modulation of the SN and DMN through these anatomic connections.

Autobiographical Memory and Moral Identity Development

Moral identity theory is one of the most popular theories of moral development. A central concept of moral identity theory is moral integration. Moral identity theorists refer to moral integration as the process by which moral values become central to a person's identity, thus developing one's moral identity. The problem is that there is still very little understanding of the psychological processes that constitute the process of moral integration. The aim of this paper is to offer an account of the role of autobiographical memory in moral identity development. Autobiographical memory refers to the ability to recollect events in one's past as part of one's personal history. I motivate the claim that the role of the development of autobiographical memory in moral integration should be conceived in relation to the emergence of psychological abilities that both develop and are exercised on a personal, conscious, and deliberative level.

A Neural Signature for Reappraisal as an Emotion Regulation Strategy: Relationship to Stress-Related Suicidal Ideation and Negative Affect in Major Depression

BackgroundImpaired emotion regulation (ER) contributes to major depression and suicidal ideation and behavior. ER is typically studied by explicitly directing participants to regulate, but this may not capture spontaneous tendencies of individuals with depression to engage ER in daily life. MethodsIn 82 participants with major depressive disorder, we examined the relationship of spontaneous engagement of ER to real-world responses to stress. We used a machine learning–derived neural signature reflecting neural systems that underlie cognitive reappraisal (an ER strategy) to identify reappraisal-related activity while participants recalled negative autobiographical memories under the following conditions: 1) unstructured recall; 2) distanced recall, a form of reappraisal; and 3) immersed recall (comparison condition). Participants also completed a week of ecological momentary assessment measuring daily stressors, suicidal ideation, and negative affect. ResultsHigher reappraisal signature output for the unstructured period, a proxy for the spontaneous tendency to engage ER, was associated with greater increases in suicidal ideation following stressors (b = 0.083, p = .041). Higher signature output for distanced recall, a proxy for the capacity to engage ER when directed, was associated with lower negative affect following stressors (b = −0.085, p = .029). Output for the immerse period was not associated with ecological momentary assessment outcomes. ConclusionsFindings suggest that in major depressive disorder, the spontaneous tendency to react to negative memories with attempts to reappraise may indicate greater reactivity to negative cues, while intact capacity to use reappraisal when directed may be associated with more adaptive responses to stress. These data have implications for understanding stress-related increases in suicide risk in depression.

Details in hand: how does gesturing relate to autobiographical memory?

ABSTRACT Gestures are an integral and inseparable component of speech and people frequently use gestures when retelling their autobiographical memories. This study investigates whether gestures are associated with the retrieval of episodically and phenomenologically rich memories and how this association changes during development. Thirty-five children and 46 adults were asked to report autobiographical memories. Then, they rated the recalled memories on phenomenological qualities. Episodic and non-episodic details of autobiographical memories and representational gestures produced during memory narration were coded. The use of representational gestures was positively correlated with the episodic details of adult memories; however, the same correlation was not present in child memories. The representational gesture use was not associated with the phenomenological qualities in both groups. Gesture use may be related to the retrieval of autobiographical memories, particularly in adults capable of reporting long, coherent memories.

Cross-regional coordination of activity in the human brain during autobiographical self-referential processing

For the human brain to operate, populations of neurons across anatomical structures must coordinate their activity within milliseconds. To date, our understanding of such interactions has remained limited. We recorded directly from the hippocampus (HPC), posteromedial cortex (PMC), ventromedial/orbital prefrontal cortex (OFC), and the anterior nuclei of the thalamus (ANT) during two experiments of autobiographical memory processing that are known from decades of neuroimaging work to coactivate these regions. In 31 patients implanted with intracranial electrodes, we found that the presentation of memory retrieval cues elicited a significant increase of low frequency (LF < 6 Hz) activity followed by cross-regional phase coherence of this LF activity before select populations of neurons within each of the four regions increased high-frequency (HF > 70 Hz) activity. The power of HF activity was modulated by memory content, and its onset followed a specific temporal order of ANT→HPC/PMC→OFC. Further, we probed cross-regional causal effective interactions with repeated electrical pulses and found that HPC stimulations cause the greatest increase in LF-phase coherence across all regions, whereas the stimulation of any region caused the greatest LF-phase coherence between that particular region and ANT. These observations support the role of the ANT in gating, and the HPC in synchronizing, the activity of cortical midline structures when humans retrieve self-relevant memories of their past. Our findings offer a fresh perspective, with high temporal fidelity, about the dynamic signaling and underlying causal connections among distant regions when the brain is actively involved in retrieving self-referential memories from the past.

Digital Life Story Books: Intervention to maintain sense of self in older adults with memory difficulties

ABSTRACT The sharp increase in dementia and age-related memory impairments worldwide has made reminiscence-based interventions attractive. Past research is mixed with little focus on self-functioning. The aims of this study were (i) to develop and assess the implementation of a reminiscence-based intervention, Digital Life Story Books, grounded in evidence-based principles of autobiographical memory, and (ii) to evaluate its effectiveness in improving sense of self in older adults with memory difficulties. A remote reminiscence intervention, using multisensory Digital Life Story Books (DLSB), was developed. Using a short-term experimental, longitudinal design, 25 participants with memory difficulties were assigned to the DLSB condition (16 females; M = 73.96, SD = 8.8) and 23 to a Wait-List Control (16 females; M = 78.57, SD = 9.38). Informal caregivers (N = 34; M = 63.44, SD = 13.8) provided proxy-reports on the effects of the DLSB. The DLSB was successfully developed and positively evaluated by participants. In the DLSB condition, a strengthened sense of self, reflected directly in the memories selected for the DLSB was detected. No overall condition difference was detected pre- to post-therapy. The findings highlight the appeal of reminiscence activities but also the challenge of adequate measurement sensitivity to demonstrate effects.

Memory impairments in temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy is known to present with various cognitive impairments, among which memory deficits are frequently reported by patients. Memory deficits can be classified into two types: classical hippocampal amnesia, which is characterized by abnormalities detected in neuropsychological assessments, and atypical memory deficits, such as accelerated long-term amnesia and autobiographical memory impairment, which cannot be identified using standard testing methods. These deficits are believed to arise from a complex interplay among structural brain abnormalities, interictal epileptic discharges, pharmacological factors, and psychological states. While fundamental treatments are limited, there are opportunities for interventions such as environmental adjustments and rehabilitation. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the types, underlying pathophysiology, and intervention methods for memory disorders observed in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Insights from EEG analysis of evoked memory recalls using deep learning for emotion charting

Affect recognition in a real-world, less constrained environment is the principal prerequisite of the industrial-level usefulness of this technology. Monitoring the psychological profile using smart, wearable electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors during daily activities without external stimuli, such as memory-induced emotions, is a challenging research gap in emotion recognition. This paper proposed a deep learning framework for improved memory-induced emotion recognition leveraging a combination of 1D-CNN and LSTM as feature extractors integrated with an Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) classifier. The proposed deep learning architecture, combined with the EEG preprocessing, such as the removal of the average baseline signal from each sample and extraction of EEG rhythms (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma), aims to capture repetitive and continuous patterns for memory-induced emotion recognition, underexplored with deep learning techniques. This work has analyzed EEG signals using a wearable, ultra-mobile sports cap while recalling autobiographical emotional memories evoked by affect-denoting words, with self-annotation on the scale of valence and arousal. With extensive experimentation using the same dataset, the proposed framework empirically outperforms existing techniques for the emerging area of memory-induced emotion recognition with an accuracy of 65.6%. The EEG rhythms analysis, such as delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma, achieved 65.5%, 52.1%, 65.1%, 64.6%, and 65.0% accuracies for classification with four quadrants of valence and arousal. These results underscore the significant advancement achieved by our proposed method for the real-world environment of memory-induced emotion recognition.

Memory recall can increase authenticity and engagement: understanding the role of work context and memory function in autobiographical memories

Authenticity is positively associated with important psychological outcomes in the workplace, such as well-being and engagement, and is reliant on having a coherent sense of self. This coherent self is maintained by recalling autobiographical memories (AM). But the specific relationships between authenticity and memory functions are unclear. This study aims to first, identify differences in memory function and content in the recall of authentic and inauthentic moments and second, address how these AM functions are related to authenticity, engagement and well-being. Participants completed measures of authenticity, engagement and well-being before and after a memory recall task. For the recall task, they were randomly assigned to recall either an authentic, inauthentic, or control memory. Recall narratives were coded for memory functions (self-identity, social, directive) and for physical/social context features. Authentic moments, inauthentic moments and controls differed in terms of social and physical contexts. Authentic moments were most likely to involve being alone while inauthentic moments were most likely to happen at work. Authentic or inauthentic moments were both more likely than controls to involve work colleagues, with inauthentic moments also involving more distant acquaintances such as bosses or customers. In addition, recalling a memory, no matter what type, increased engagement and authentic self-awareness. While there was no difference between authentic or inauthentic moments in influencing these outcomes, individuals’ pre-recall levels of engagement and authenticity influenced the memory functions used. This taxonomy of (in)authentic moment recall can guide future research in authenticity and memory function. In addition, these findings begin to address the interactive role that authenticity plays in memory recall and its influence on other psychological outcomes.