Emotional Memories (emotional + memory)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for positive, negative, and neutral events

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2003
Arnaud D'Argembeau
We investigated memory qualities for positive, negative, and neutral autobiographical events. Participants recalled two personal experiences of each type and then rated their memories on several characteristics (e.g. sensorial and contextual details). They also reported whether they ,see' the events in their memories from their own perspective (,field' memories) or whether they ,see' the self engaged in the event as an observer would (,observer' memories). Positive memories contained more sensorial (visual, smell, taste) and contextual (location, time) details than both negative and neutral events, whereas negative and neutral memories did not differ on most dimensions. Positive and negative events were more often recollected with a field perspective than neutral events. Finally, participants were classified in four groups according to the repressive coping style framework. Emotional memories of repressors were not less detailed than those of the other groups. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Competitive interactions between endogenous LTD and LTP in the hippocampus underlie the storage of emotional memories and stress-induced amnesia

HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 8 2005
David M. Diamond
Abstract This speculative review serves two purposes. First, it as an extension of the ideas we developed in a previous review (Diamond et al., Hippocampus, 2004;14:281,291), and second, it is a rebuttal to Abraham's (Hippocampus, 2004;14:675,676) critique of that review. We had speculated on the functional significance of the finding that post-training LTP induction produces retrograde amnesia. We noted the similarities between the findings that strong tetanizing stimulation can produce LTP and retrograde amnesia, and that a strong emotional experience can produce a long-lasting memory and retrograde amnesia, as well. The commonalities between LTP induction and emotional learning provided the basis of our hypothesis that an emotional experience generates endogenous LTD/depotentiation, which reverses synaptic plasticity formed during previous learning experiences, and endogenous LTP, which underlies the storage of new information. Abraham raised several concerns with our review, including the criticism that our speculation "falters because there is no evidence that stress causes LTD or depotentiation," and that research on stress and hippocampus has "failed to report any LTP-like changes." Abraham's points are well-taken because stress, in isolation, does not appear to generate long-lasting changes in baseline measures of hippocampal excitability. Here, within the context of a reply to Abraham's critique, we have provided a review of the literature on the influence of stress, novelty, fear conditioning, and the retrieval of emotional memories on cognitive and physiological measures of hippocampal functioning. An emphasis of this review is our hypothesis that endogenous forms of depotentiation, LTD and LTP are generated only when arousing experiences occur in conjunction with memory-related activation of the hippocampus and amygdala. We conclude with speculation that interactions among the different forms of endogenous plasticity underlie a form of competition by synapses and memories for access to retrieval resources. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Post-traumatic factors and resilience: the role of shelter management and survivours' attitudes after the earthquakes in El Salvador (2001)

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
Pau Pérez-Sales
Abstract A participatory research action was undertaken in the two largest shelters established after the earthquakes in El Salvador (2001). One hundred fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out among refugees, which later formed the basis for a self-managed community plan. Comparisons between the two shelters,which differed primarily in whether the grouping of tents was made to reflect the community of origin of the survivors (shelter Santa Gertrudis) or not (shelter El Cafetalón),showed that refugees in Santa Gertrudis participated more often in community activities, and had more positive emotional memories, fewer feelings of having been humiliated and less emotional discomfort than refugees in El Cafetalón. The results suggest that forms of organisation and management which consider elements of dignity, participation and respect for the capacity of the victims to control their own lives are relevant factors for effective individual and community coping after a catastrophe. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Counting during recall: Taxing of working memory and reduced vividness and emotionality of negative memories

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
Marcel A. van den Hout
While initially subject to debate, meta-analyses have shown that eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is effective in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Earlier studies showed that eye movements during retrieval of emotional memories reduce their vividness and emotionality, which may be due to both tasks competing for limited working memory (WM) resources. This study examined whether another secondary task that taxes WM has beneficial effects, and whether the stronger the taxing, the stronger the reductions in vividness/adversity. A reaction time (RT) paradigm showed that counting backwards requires WM resources, and that more complex counting is more demanding than simple counting. Relative to a retrieval-only condition, counting during retrieval of emotional memories reduced vividness and emotionality during later recall of these memories. However, the counting conditions did not differ in the magnitude of this reduction, and did not show the predicted dose-response relationship. Implications for a working-memory explanation of EMDR and for clinical practice are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Same Beginnings, Different Stories: A Comparison of American and Chinese Children's Narratives

CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2000
Qi Wang
This study examined social, emotional, and cognitive characteristics of American and Chinese children's narratives. Twenty-four American and 26 Chinese 6-year-old children participated. Each child was interviewed individually twice with a 1-week delay interval. During the two interviews, children were asked to tell 11 stories prompted by pictures and standard verbal leads and to recount 7 emotional memories. Content analyses were performed on children's stories and memories. In line with predictions, findings indicated that compared with American children, Chinese children showed greater orientation toward social engagement, greater concern with moral correctness, greater concern with authority, a less autonomous orientation, more expressions of emotions, and more situational details in both their stories and memories. A few gender differences were found. Findings are discussed in terms of different value systems and early socialization practices in these two cultures. [source]


5-HT1A and NMDA receptors interact in the rat medial septum and modulate hippocampal-dependent spatial learning

HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 12 2009
Elin Elvander-Tottie
Abstract Cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the medial septum/vertical limb of the diagonal band of Broca (MS/vDB) projecting to the hippocampus, constitute the septohippocampal projection, which is important for hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. There is also evidence for an extrinsic as well as an intrinsic glutamatergic network within the MS/vDB. GABAergic and cholinergic septohippocampal neurons express the serotonergic 5-HT1A receptor and most likely also glutamatergic NMDA receptors. The aim of the present study was to examine whether septal 5-HT1A receptors are important for hippocampal-dependent long-term memory and whether these receptors interact with glutamatergic NMDA receptor transmission in a manner important for hippocampal-dependent spatial memory. Intraseptal infusion of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist (R)-8-OH-DPAT (1 or 4 ,g/rat) did not affect spatial learning in the water maze task but impaired emotional memory in the passive avoidance task at the higher dose tested (4 ,g/rat). While intraseptal administration of (R)-8-OH-DPAT (4 ,g) combined with a subthreshold dose of the NMDA receptor antagonist D-AP5 (1 ,g) only marginally affected spatial acquisition, it produced a profound impairment in spatial memory. In conclusion, septal 5-HT1A receptors appears to play a more prominent role in emotional than in spatial memory. Importantly, septal 5-HT1A and NMDA receptors appear to interact in a manner, which is particularly critical for the expression or retrieval of hippocampal-dependent long-term spatial memory. It is proposed that NMDA receptor hypofunction in the septal area may unmask a negative effect of 5-HT1A receptor activation on memory, which may be clinically relevant. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Using fMRI to dissociate sensory encoding from cognitive evaluation of heat pain intensity

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 9 2006
Jian Kong
Abstract Neuroimaging studies of painful stimuli in humans have identified a network of brain regions that is more extensive than identified previously in electrophysiological and anatomical studies of nociceptive pathways. This extensive network has been described as a pain matrix of brain regions that mediate the many interrelated aspects of conscious processing of nociceptive input such as perception, evaluation, affective response, and emotional memory. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in healthy human subjects to distinguish brain regions required for pain sensory encoding from those required for cognitive evaluation of pain intensity. The results suggest that conscious cognitive evaluation of pain intensity in the absence of any sensory stimulation activates a network that includes bilateral anterior insular cortex/frontal operculum, dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex, right superior parietal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, orbital prefrontal cortex, and left occipital cortex. Increased activity common to both encoding and evaluation was observed in bilateral anterior insula/frontal operculum and medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex. We hypothesize that these two regions play a crucial role in bridging the encoding of pain sensation and the cognitive processing of sensory input. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Apoptotic and behavioral sequelae of mild brain trauma in mice

JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 4 2007
David Tweedie
Abstract Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a not uncommon event in adolescents and young adults. Although it does not result in clear morphological brain defects, it is associated with long-term cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems. Herein, we characterized the biochemical and behavioral changes associated with experimental mTBI in mice that may act as either targets or surrogate markers for interventional therapy. Specifically, mTBI was induced by 30-g and 50-g weight drop, and at 8 and 72 hr thereafter markers of cellular apoptosis,caspase-3, Bax, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), and cytochrome-c (Cyt-c),were quantified by Western blot analysis in hippocampus ipsilateral to the impact. Levels of amyloid-, precursor protein (APP) were also measured, and specific behavioral tests,passive avoidance, open field, and forced swimming (Porsolt) paradigms,were undertaken to assess learning, emotionality, and emotional memory. In the absence of hemorrhage or infarcts, as assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, procaspase-3 and Bax levels were markedly altered following mTBI at both times. No cleaved caspase-3 was detected, and levels of AIF and Cyt-c, but not APP, were significantly changed at 72 hr. Mice subjected to mTBI were indistinguishable from controls by neurological examination at 1 and 24 hr, and by passive avoidance/open field at 72 hr, but could be differentiated in the forced swimming paradigm. In general, this model mimics the diffuse effects of mTBI on brain function associated with the human condition and highlights specific apoptotic proteins and a behavioral paradigm as potential markers for prospective interventional strategies. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The common adolescent bipolar phenotype shows positive biases in emotional processing

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 6 2010
Philippa L Rock
Rock PL, Goodwin GM, Harmer CJ. The common adolescent bipolar phenotype shows positive biases in emotional processing. Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 606,615. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives:, Bipolar disorder is associated with abnormalities in emotional processing that persist into periods of remission. However, studies of euthymic bipolar disorder patients may be confounded by the experience of mood episodes and medication. We therefore assessed an adolescent group for vulnerability markers associated with the bipolar phenotype. Methods:, The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a screening tool for bipolar disorder that targets mood-elevation symptoms. We selected 32 high-scoring students (, 7 symptoms) with the adolescent bipolar phenotype and 30 low-scoring controls (, 3 symptoms) and screened them with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview,Plus for bipolar disorder and other psychiatric disorders. We investigated emotional processing by assessing facial expression recognition, emotional memory, emotion-potentiated startle, and a dot-probe task. Results:, Of the high-MDQ participants, 12 were in remission from bipolar disorder defined by DSM-IV-TR and interview (bipolar II disorder/bipolar disorder not otherwise specified) and 3 from major depressive disorder. High-MDQ participants had higher levels of neuroticism, low mood, and lifetime anxiety comorbidity and alcohol dependence compared with low-MDQ participants. The high-MDQ group showed facilitated recognition of surprised and neutral facial expressions and enhanced processing of positive versus negative information in emotional recognition memory and emotion-potentiated startle. There were no effects on emotional categorisation/recall memory or attentional bias in the dot-probe task. Conclusions:, These results suggest that students with the common adolescent bipolar phenotype show positive emotional processing biases despite increased levels of neuroticism, low mood, and anxiety. Such effects may represent a psychological vulnerability marker associated with the bipolar phenotype. [source]