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Varma MM, Zeng S, Singh L, Holmes EA, Huang J, Chiu MH, Hu X. A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental methods for modulating intrusive memories following lab-analogue trauma exposure in non-clinical populations. Nat Hum Behav 2024:10.1038/s41562-024-01956-y. [PMID: 39169230 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01956-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Experiencing trauma leads to intrusive memories (IMs), a hallmark symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which also occurs transdiagnostically. Understanding why IMs increase or decrease is pivotal in developing interventions to support mental health. In this preregistered meta-analysis (PROSPERO: CRD42021224835), we included 134 articles (131 techniques, 606 effect sizes and 12,074 non-clinical participants) to investigate how experimental techniques alter IM frequency, intrusion-related distress and symptoms arising from lab-analogue trauma exposure. Eligible articles were identified by searching eight databases until 12 December 2023. To test potential publication biases, we employed methods including Egger's test and three-parameter selection models. We employed three-level multilevel modelling and meta-regressions to examine whether and how experimental techniques would modulate IM frequency and associated outcomes. Results showed that techniques (behavioural, pharmacological, neuromodulation) significantly reduced intrusion frequency (g = 0.16, 95% confidence interval [0.09, 0.23]). Notably, techniques aimed to reduce IMs also ameliorated intrusion-related distress and symptoms, while techniques that increased IMs exacerbated these related outcomes, thus highlighting IM's centrality in PTSD-like symptoms. Techniques tapping into mental imagery processing (for example, trauma reminder followed by playing Tetris) reduced intrusions when administered immediately after, or at a delayed time after trauma. Although our meta-analysis is limited to symptoms induced by lab-analogue trauma exposure, some lab-based results have now generalized to real-world trauma and IMs, highlighting the promising utility of lab-analogue trauma paradigms for intervention development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohith M Varma
- Department of Management, Marketing, and Information Systems, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shengzi Zeng
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- The State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura Singh
- Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emily A Holmes
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jingyun Huang
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Man Hey Chiu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- The State Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, China.
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2
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Xia T, Chen D, Zeng S, Yao Z, Liu J, Qin S, Paller KA, Torres Platas SG, Antony JW, Hu X. Aversive memories can be weakened during human sleep via the reactivation of positive interfering memories. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2400678121. [PMID: 39052838 PMCID: PMC11295023 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400678121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Recollecting painful or traumatic experiences can be deeply troubling. Sleep may offer an opportunity to reduce such suffering. We developed a procedure to weaken older aversive memories by reactivating newer positive memories during sleep. Participants viewed 48 nonsense words each paired with a unique aversive image, followed by an overnight sleep. In the next evening, participants learned associations between half of the words and additional positive images, creating interference. During the following non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, auditory memory cues were unobtrusively delivered. Upon waking, presenting cues associated with both aversive and positive images during sleep, as opposed to not presenting cues, weakened aversive memory recall while increasing positive memory intrusions. Substantiating these memory benefits, computational modeling revealed that cueing facilitated evidence accumulation toward positive affect judgments. Moreover, cue-elicited theta brain rhythms during sleep predominantly predicted the recall of positive memories. A noninvasive sleep intervention can thus modify aversive recollection and affective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xia
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Danni Chen
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Shengzi Zeng
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA02215
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02215
| | - Ziqing Yao
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and International Data Group McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Ken A. Paller
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL60208
| | - S. Gabriela Torres Platas
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL60208
| | - James W. Antony
- Department of Psychology & Child Development, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA93407
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen518057, China
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3
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Lin X, Chen D, Liu J, Yao Z, Xie H, Anderson MC, Hu X. Observing the suppression of individual aversive memories from conscious awareness. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae080. [PMID: 38863114 PMCID: PMC11166503 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
When reminded of an unpleasant experience, people often try to exclude the unwanted memory from awareness, a process known as retrieval suppression. Here we used multivariate decoding (MVPA) and representational similarity analyses on EEG data to track how suppression unfolds in time and to reveal its impact on item-specific cortical patterns. We presented reminders to aversive scenes and asked people to either suppress or to retrieve the scene. During suppression, mid-frontal theta power within the first 500 ms distinguished suppression from passive viewing of the reminder, indicating that suppression rapidly recruited control. During retrieval, we could discern EEG cortical patterns relating to individual memories-initially, based on theta-driven visual perception of the reminders (0 to 500 ms) and later, based on alpha-driven reinstatement of the aversive scene (500 to 3000 ms). Critically, suppressing retrieval weakened (during 360 to 600 ms) and eventually abolished item-specific cortical patterns, a robust effect that persisted until the reminder disappeared (780 to 3000 ms). Representational similarity analyses provided converging evidence that retrieval suppression weakened the representation of target scenes during the 500 to 3000 ms reinstatement window. Together, rapid top-down control during retrieval suppression abolished cortical patterns of individual memories, and precipitated later forgetting. These findings reveal a precise chronometry on the voluntary suppression of individual memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyi Lin
- Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, United States
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Danni Chen
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ziqing Yao
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hui Xie
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Michael C Anderson
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, 518057, China
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4
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Ashton SM, Gagnepain P, Davidson P, Hellerstedt R, Satish A, Smeets T, Quaedflieg CWEM. The Index of Intrusion Control (IIC): Capturing individual variability in intentional intrusion control in the laboratory. Behav Res Methods 2024; 56:4061-4072. [PMID: 38291222 PMCID: PMC11133188 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02345-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Intrusive memories can be downregulated using intentional memory control, as measured via the Think/No-Think paradigm. In this task, participants retrieve or suppress memories in response to an associated reminder cue. After each suppression trial, participants rate whether the association intruded into awareness. Previous research has found that repeatedly exerting intentional control over memory intrusions reduces their frequency. This decrease is often summarised with a linear index, which may miss more complex patterns characterising the temporal dynamics of intrusion control. The goal of this paper is to propose a novel metric of intrusion control that captures those dynamic changes over time as a single index. Results from a mega-analysis of published datasets revealed that the change in intrusion frequencies across time is not purely linear, but also includes non-linear dynamics that seem best captured by a log function of the number of suppression attempts. To capture those linear and non-linear dynamics, we propose the Index of Intrusion Control (IIC), which relies on the integral of intrusion changes across suppression attempts. Simulations revealed that the IIC best captured the linear and non-linear dynamics of intrusion suppression when compared with other linear or non-linear indexes of control, such as the regression slope or Spearman correlation, respectively. Our findings demonstrate how the IIC may therefore act as a more reliable metric to capture individual differences in intrusion control, and examine the role of non-linear dynamics characterizing the conscious access to unwanted memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Ashton
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Pierre Gagnepain
- Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Caen, France
| | - Per Davidson
- Department of Psychology, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden
| | - Robin Hellerstedt
- Centre for Technological Biology, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Akul Satish
- Medical Research Council - Cognitive and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tom Smeets
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Center of Research on Psychological disorders and Somatic diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Conny W E M Quaedflieg
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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5
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Long J, Peng L, Li Q, Niu L, Dai H, Zhang J, Chen K, Lee TMC, Huang M, Zhang R. Acute stress impairs intentional memory suppression through aberrant prefrontal cortex activation in high trait ruminators. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2024; 24:100463. [PMID: 38699400 PMCID: PMC11063604 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Research shows that the effect of acute stress on intentional memory suppression could be modulated by individual differences in psychological traits. However, whether acute stress distinctly affects intentional memory suppression in high trait ruminators, a high at-risk group of stress-related disorders, and the neural correlations, remains unclear. Method 55 healthy college students were divided into high and low trait ruminators (HTR and LTR), Following stress manipulation, a Think/No Think task assessed the memory suppression performance. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was applied to explore the neural correlates. Psychophysiological interaction analyses were used to assess how the functional connectivity between a seed region and another brain region was modulated by tasks during memory suppression, further mediating memory suppression performance and state rumination. Results The HTR exhibited poorer memory suppression performance than the LTR under the stress condition. Aberrant activation patterns and task-modulated functional connectivity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and superior temporal gyrus (STG) were observed only in the HTR during memory suppression under the stress condition. The effect of memory suppression performance on the state rumination of individuals was significantly mediated by the task-modulated functional connectivity between the DLPFC and STG. Conclusions The findings could provide insights for prevention or early intervention in the development of stress-related disorders in HTR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixin Long
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
- Department of Applied Social Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Lanxin Peng
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
| | - Qian Li
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
| | - Lijing Niu
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
| | - Haowei Dai
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
| | - Jiayuan Zhang
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
| | - Keyin Chen
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
| | - Tatia MC Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology and Human Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Meiyan Huang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Ruibin Zhang
- Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, PR China
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China
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6
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Xia T, Yao Z, Guo X, Liu J, Chen D, Liu Q, Paller KA, Hu X. Updating memories of unwanted emotions during human sleep. Curr Biol 2023; 33:309-320.e5. [PMID: 36584677 PMCID: PMC9979073 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Post-learning sleep contributes to memory consolidation. Yet it remains contentious whether sleep affords opportunities to modify or update emotional memories, particularly when people would prefer to forget those memories. Here, we attempted to update memories during sleep, using spoken positive words paired with cues to recent memories of aversive events. Affective updating using positive words during human non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, compared with using neutral words instead, reduced negative affective judgments in post-sleep tests, suggesting that the recalled events were perceived as less aversive. Electroencephalogram (EEG) analyses showed that positive words modulated theta and spindle/sigma activity; specifically, to the extent that theta power was larger for the positive words than for the memory cues that followed, participants judged the memory cues less negatively. Moreover, to the extent that sigma power was larger for the positive words than for the memory cues that followed, participants forgot more episodic details about aversive events. Notably, when the onset of individual positive words coincided with the up-phase of slow oscillations (a state characterized by increased cortical excitability during NREM sleep), affective updating was more successful. In sum, we altered the affective content of memories via the strategic pairing of positive words and memory cues during sleep, linked with EEG theta power increases and the slow oscillation up-phase. These findings suggest novel possibilities for modifying unwanted memories during sleep, which would not require people to consciously confront memories that they prefer to avoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xia
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ziqing Yao
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xue Guo
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Danni Chen
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qiang Liu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, China; Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China.
| | - Ken A Paller
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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7
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Schmidt M, Anderson MC, Tempel T. Suppression-induced forgetting of motor sequences. Cognition 2023; 230:105292. [PMID: 36191357 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Two experiments examined the effects of deliberately suppressing retrieval of motor sequences on their later recall, in the think/no-think paradigm (Anderson & Green, 2001). After several motor sequences had been associated with individual cues through repeated practice cycles, a subset of these sequences was retrieved in response to their respective cues (think trials), whereas other sequences were suppressed. In such no-think trials, cues were shown but participants were instructed to withhold the associated motor response and to suppress its recollection. We found that suppressing retrieval impaired later memory performance for the suppressed sequences in comparison to items that were not cued at all after their initial training (baseline sequences). Suppression impaired later sequence recall and sequence speed although in different ways depending on the training level: with higher initial training of sequences (Experiment 1), suppression impaired reaction time, but not recall accuracy; with lower initial training (Experiment 2), suppression reduced recall accuracy. Reaction time analyses revealed a consistent slowing of movement execution for suppressed sequences. These findings show that inhibitory control processes engaged during retrieval suppression can influence memory representations of motor actions, by not only reducing their accessibility but also by affecting their execution, once retrieved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael C Anderson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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8
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Yan Y, Hulbert JC, Zhuang K, Liu W, Wei D, Qiu J, Anderson MC, Yang W. Reduced hippocampal-cortical connectivity during memory suppression predicts the ability to forget unwanted memories. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4189-4201. [PMID: 36156067 PMCID: PMC10110427 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to suppress unwelcome memories is important for productivity and well-being. Successful memory suppression is associated with hippocampal deactivations and a concomitant disruption of this region's functionality. Much of the previous neuroimaging literature exploring such suppression-related hippocampal modulations has focused on the region's negative coupling with the prefrontal cortex. Task-based changes in functional connectivity between the hippocampus and other brain regions still need further exploration. In the present study, we utilize psychophysiological interactions and seed connectome-based predictive modeling to investigate the relationship between the hippocampus and the rest of the brain as 134 participants attempted to suppress unwanted memories during the Think/No-Think task. The results show that during retrieval suppression, the right hippocampus exhibited decreased functional connectivity with visual cortical areas (lingual and cuneus gyrus), left nucleus accumbens and the brain-stem that predicted superior forgetting of unwanted memories on later memory tests. Validation tests verified that prediction performance was not an artifact of head motion or prediction method and that the negative features remained consistent across different brain parcellations. These findings suggest that systemic memory suppression involves more than the modulation of hippocampal activity-it alters functional connectivity patterns between the hippocampus and visual cortex, leading to successful forgetting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchi Yan
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, No. 2 TianSheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), No. 2 TianShen Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Justin C Hulbert
- Psychology Program, Bard College, PO Box 5000, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 12504, United States
| | - Kaixiang Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, No. 2 TianSheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), No. 2 TianShen Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Wei Liu
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University (CCNU), No. 152 Luoyu Road, Hongshan, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Dongtao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, No. 2 TianSheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), No. 2 TianShen Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, No. 2 TianSheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), No. 2 TianShen Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Michael C Anderson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Wenjing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, No. 2 TianSheng Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), No. 2 TianShen Road, Beibei District, Chongqing 400715, China
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9
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Cortisol reactivity impairs suppression-induced forgetting. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 142:105774. [PMID: 35512558 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
To some extent, we can shape our recollections by intentionally remembering certain experiences while trying to forget others, for example, by intentional suppression. Acute stress impairs suppression-induced forgetting of memories. It is unclear, however, whether these deficits are a direct consequence of the acute stress-induced cortisol response. The present study was designed to examine the stress-induced impairment in suppression-induced forgetting in a subgroup of cortisol responders. We exposed healthy participants to a stress (n = 55) or no-stress control (n = 32) version of the Maastricht Acute Stress Test before they performed the Think / No-Think task. Here, participants aimed to repeatedly retrieve or suppress memories of previously learned cue-target video clips to mimic the complexity of episodic memories. Results on the subsequent memory test revealed that, while the no-stress controls and cortisol non-responders demonstrated suppression-induced forgetting, this effect was absent in cortisol responders. Moreover, the magnitude of suppression-induced forgetting was negatively correlated to stress-induced cortisol increases. The current study extends findings on stress-induced impairments in suppression-induced forgetting by specifically focusing on cortisol reactivity. Furthermore, our findings show the importance of individual differences in cortisol responses as a driving mechanism behind stress-induced alterations in our capacity to actively control our memory.
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10
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Chen S, Mao X, Wu Y. Can't stop thinking: The role of cognitive control in suppression-induced forgetting. Neuropsychologia 2022; 172:108274. [PMID: 35623449 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The ability to control unwanted memories is essential for emotional regulation and maintaining mental health. Previous evidence indicates that suppressing retrieval, which recruits executive control mechanisms to prevent unwanted memories entering consciousness, can cause forgetting, termed suppression-induced forgetting (SIF). Because these executive mechanisms involve multiple mental operations, their effects may be limited by individuals' capacity limitation of cognitive control. Here, we tested the hypothesis that cognitive control capacity (CCC, estimated by the backward masking majority function task) is an important factor that predicts SIF. Participants were assigned to two groups based on the median CCC and performed the think/no-think task with electrophysiological signals recorded. The results showed that the SIF effect was observed only in the high CCC group but not in the low CCC group. In accordance, repeated suppression attempts also resulted in a steeper reduction in intrusive thoughts in the high CCC group. Furthermore, ERP analysis revealed a decrease in recollection-related late parietal positivity (LPP) under the no-think condition in the high CCC group, indicating successful avoidance of recall. A mediation analysis revealed that the reduced intrusive memories mediated the effect of CCC on SIF. These findings suggest that suppressing retrieval could reduce traces of the unwanted memories, making them less intrusive and harder to recall. More importantly, successful SIF is constrained by the capacity of cognitive control which may be used to ensure the coordination of multiple cognitive processes during suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suya Chen
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Xinrui Mao
- Collage of Elementary Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Yanhong Wu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Key Laboratory of Machine Perception, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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11
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Aberrant social feedback processing and its impact on memory, social evaluation, and decision-making among individuals with depressive symptoms. J Affect Disord 2022; 300:366-376. [PMID: 34995703 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is associated with aberrant social feedback processing. However, little is known about the impact of these deficits on individuals' memory, social evaluation, and social decision-making. METHODS We examined event-related potentials (ERPs) during the processing of social feedback with different emotional valences and intensities, among individuals with high and low depressive symptoms. After three days, participants performed a recall test, along with social evaluation and money allocation. RESULTS Compared with the control group, participants with depressive symptoms showed larger occipital P1 and parietal P3 amplitudes to negative social feedback, as well as larger frontal feedback-related negativity toward highly positive social feedback; this indicates toward altered attentional allocation, encoding, and anticipation in social feedback processing. After three days of social feedback processing, individuals in the depressive symptom group recalled negative social feedback better and gave less positive evaluations and allocated less money to the senders of highly negative social feedback compared with control group participants. Notably, ERPs predicted subsequent memory, social evaluation, and decision-making, suggesting a significant impact of aberrant social feedback processing on social cognition and behaviors in depression. LIMITATIONS Individuals with depressive symptoms rather than patients with depressive disorders were recruited and therefore caution is needed in applying the findings to clinical populations. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with depressive symptoms exhibit negative bias in anticipation, attentional allocation, and encoding processes during social feedback processing, which further influences their memory, social evaluation, and social decision-making in the long run. These aberrant biases should be targeted to prevent the development of major depressive disorders.
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12
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Apšvalka D, Ferreira CS, Schmitz TW, Rowe JB, Anderson MC. Dynamic targeting enables domain-general inhibitory control over action and thought by the prefrontal cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:274. [PMID: 35022447 PMCID: PMC8755760 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27926-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, inhibitory control has featured prominently in accounts of how humans and other organisms regulate their behaviour and thought. Previous work on how the brain stops actions and thoughts, however, has emphasised distinct prefrontal regions supporting these functions, suggesting domain-specific mechanisms. Here we show that stopping actions and thoughts recruits common regions in the right dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex to suppress diverse content, via dynamic targeting. Within each region, classifiers trained to distinguish action-stopping from action-execution also identify when people are suppressing their thoughts (and vice versa). Effective connectivity analysis reveals that both prefrontal regions contribute to action and thought stopping by targeting the motor cortex or the hippocampus, depending on the goal, to suppress their task-specific activity. These findings support the existence of a domain-general system that underlies inhibitory control and establish Dynamic Targeting as a mechanism enabling this ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dace Apšvalka
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
| | | | - Taylor W Schmitz
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - James B Rowe
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Michael C Anderson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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13
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Anderson MC, Floresco SB. Prefrontal-hippocampal interactions supporting the extinction of emotional memories: the retrieval stopping model. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:180-195. [PMID: 34446831 PMCID: PMC8616908 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01131-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging has revealed robust interactions between the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus when people stop memory retrieval. Efforts to stop retrieval can arise when people encounter reminders to unpleasant thoughts they prefer not to think about. Retrieval stopping suppresses hippocampal and amygdala activity, especially when cues elicit aversive memory intrusions, via a broad inhibitory control capacity enabling prepotent response suppression. Repeated retrieval stopping reduces intrusions of unpleasant memories and diminishes their affective tone, outcomes resembling those achieved by the extinction of conditioned emotional responses. Despite this resemblance, the role of inhibitory fronto-hippocampal interactions and retrieval stopping broadly in extinction has received little attention. Here we integrate human and animal research on extinction and retrieval stopping. We argue that reconceptualising extinction to integrate mnemonic inhibitory control with learning would yield a greater understanding of extinction's relevance to mental health. We hypothesize that fear extinction spontaneously engages retrieval stopping across species, and that controlled suppression of hippocampal and amygdala activity by the prefrontal cortex reduces fearful thoughts. Moreover, we argue that retrieval stopping recruits extinction circuitry to achieve affect regulation, linking extinction to how humans cope with intrusive thoughts. We discuss novel hypotheses derived from this theoretical synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Anderson
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology, and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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14
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EEG evidence that morally relevant autobiographical memories can be suppressed. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:1290-1310. [PMID: 35986196 PMCID: PMC9622558 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01029-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Remembering unpleasant events can trigger negative feelings. Fortunately, research indicates that unwanted retrieval can be suppressed to prevent memories from intruding into awareness, improving our mental state. The current scientific understanding of retrieval suppression, however, is based mostly on simpler memories, such as associations between words or pictures, which may not reflect how people control unpleasant memory intrusions in everyday life. Here, we investigated the neural and behavioural dynamics of suppressing personal and emotional autobiographical memories using a modified version of the Think/No-Think task. We asked participants to suppress memories of their own past immoral actions, which were hypothesised to be both highly intrusive and motivating to suppress. We report novel evidence from behavioural, ERP, and EEG oscillation measures that autobiographical memory retrieval can be suppressed and suggest that autobiographical suppression recruits similar neurocognitive mechanisms as suppression of simple laboratory associations. Suppression did fail sometimes, and EEG oscillations indicated that such memory intrusions occurred from lapses in sustained control. Importantly, however, participants improved at limiting intrusions with repeated practice. Furthermore, both behavioural and EEG evidence indicated that intentional suppression may be more difficult for memories of our morally wrong actions than memories of our morally right actions. The findings elucidate the neurocognitive correlates of autobiographical retrieval suppression and have implications for theories of morally motivated memory control.
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15
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Varma MM, Hu X. Prosocial behaviour reduces unwanted intrusions of experimental traumatic memories. Behav Res Ther 2021; 148:103998. [PMID: 34864480 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2021.103998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Following trauma exposure, people often experience involuntary intrusions of traumatic memories, i.e., flashbacks. How to reduce such unwanted intrusions attracts attention from basic and translational memory research, with a goal to safeguard mental well-being and promote resilience. Here, based on prosocial behaviour's well-documented psychological benefits, we hypothesized that post-trauma prosocial behaviour would causally reduce trauma-related symptoms, including involuntary intrusions. To test this novel hypothesis, we conducted two pre-registered lab studies (N = 180) using trauma films to induce lab-analogue trauma exposure. Following trauma exposure, participants were randomly assigned to prosocial or non-prosocial conditions. Specifically, in the prosocial condition, participants donated money to their preferred charities. In the non-prosocial conditions, participants completed either a neutral, number judgement task (Experiment 1) or a proself task (Experiment 2). Participants completed a 1-week intrusion diary and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), to assess frequencies of traumatic intrusions and post-trauma stress disorder symptoms, respectively. Results showed that compared to non-prosocial behaviour, prosocial engagement (i.e. performing charitable donations) reduced involuntary traumatic intrusions in both lab settings and in their daily life as evidenced by 1-week intrusion diaries. While exploratory mediation analyses suggested that intrusion reduction was partly driven by enhanced positive affect afforded by prosocial behaviour, future studies are required to illuminate the underlying mechanisms. To the extent that post-trauma prosociality alleviated trauma-related symptoms, future research is warranted to investigate how various forms of prosocial behaviour in naturalistic setting could promote resilience following trauma exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohith M Varma
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, China.
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16
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Fu Y, Zhou Y, Zhou J, Shen M, Chen H. More attention with less working memory: The active inhibition of attended but outdated information. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj4985. [PMID: 34797712 PMCID: PMC8604409 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj4985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Attention has traditionally been regarded as a gateway to working memory, and almost all theoretical frameworks of attention and working memory assume that individuals always have a better memory for information that has received more attention. Here, we provide a series of counterintuitive demonstrations that show that paying more attention to a piece of information impedes, rather than enhances, the selection of this information into working memory. Experiments 1 to 5 provide converging evidence for an even weaker working memory trace of fully attended but outdated features, compared with baseline irrelevant features that were completely ignored. This indicates that the brain actively inhibits attended but outdated information to prevent it from entering working memory. Experiment 6 demonstrates that this inhibition processing is subject to executive control. These findings lead to a substantial reinterpretation of the relationship between attention and working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jifan Zhou
- Corresponding author. (H.C.); (J.Z.); (M.S.)
| | - Mowei Shen
- Corresponding author. (H.C.); (J.Z.); (M.S.)
| | - Hui Chen
- Corresponding author. (H.C.); (J.Z.); (M.S.)
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17
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Costanzi M, Cianfanelli B, Santirocchi A, Lasaponara S, Spataro P, Rossi-Arnaud C, Cestari V. Forgetting Unwanted Memories: Active Forgetting and Implications for the Development of Psychological Disorders. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11040241. [PMID: 33810436 PMCID: PMC8066077 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11040241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrusive memories are a common feature of many psychopathologies, and suppression-induced forgetting of unwanted memories appears as a critical ability to preserve mental health. In recent years, biological and cognitive studies converged in revealing that forgetting is due to active processes. Recent neurobiological studies provide evidence on the active role of main neurotransmitter systems in forgetting, suggesting that the brain actively works to suppress retrieval of unwanted memories. On the cognitive side, there is evidence that voluntary and involuntary processes (here termed "intentional" and "incidental" forgetting, respectively) contribute to active forgetting. In intentional forgetting, an inhibitory control mechanism suppresses awareness of unwanted memories at encoding or retrieval. In incidental forgetting, retrieval practice of some memories involuntarily suppresses the retrieval of other related memories. In this review we describe recent findings on deficits in active forgetting observed in psychopathologies, like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Moreover, we report studies in which the role of neurotransmitter systems, known to be involved in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, has been investigated in active forgetting paradigms. The possibility that biological and cognitive mechanisms of active forgetting could be considered as hallmarks of the early onset of psychopathologies is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Costanzi
- Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, 00193 Rome, Italy; (B.C.); (S.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Beatrice Cianfanelli
- Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, 00193 Rome, Italy; (B.C.); (S.L.)
| | - Alessandro Santirocchi
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
| | - Stefano Lasaponara
- Department of Human Sciences, Lumsa University, 00193 Rome, Italy; (B.C.); (S.L.)
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
| | - Pietro Spataro
- Department of Economy, Universitas Mercatorum, 00100 Rome, Italy;
| | - Clelia Rossi-Arnaud
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
| | - Vincenzo Cestari
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.S.); (C.R.-A.); (V.C.)
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18
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Xie H, Hu X, Mo L, Zhang D. Forgetting positive social feedback is difficult: ERP evidence in a directed forgetting paradigm. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13790. [PMID: 33569800 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Voluntary forgetting of unwanted memories is an adaptive cognitive function. However, it remains unknown how voluntary forgetting of unwanted social feedback may influence subsequent memories and evaluations, and what the underlying neurocognitive processes are. Here, we presented participants with peer photos together with feedback indicating social acceptance or rejection, followed by "remember" or "forget" instructive cues, while electroencephalograms were recorded during the experiment. We examined the Directed Forgetting (DF) effect in a recognition memory test, and tested participants' explicit and implicit attitudes toward the peers using a social evaluation task and an affect misattribution procedure (AMP). Both the memory test and the AMP were examined immediately and 3 days after the DF task so to estimate both the instant and the long-term effects of memory control. Behaviorally, immediate memory test showed smaller DF effect for positive than negative social feedback, which suggests that forgetting positive social feedback was more difficult than forgetting negative social feedback. Regarding the ERP results, although participants showed comparable frontal N2 amplitudes (reflecting inhibitory control efforts) following the instruction of forgetting positive and negative social feedback, positive feedback elicited larger late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes than negative feedback during initial encoding phase, suggesting an encoding bias for positive self-relevant information. Intriguingly, voluntary efforts to forget negative social feedback enhanced people's explicit and implicit evaluations toward the feedback senders. These findings provide new evidence for the adaptive function of memory control, which broadens the influence of voluntary forgetting in the context of social interaction and social evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xie
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.,Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,HKU, Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, China
| | - Licheng Mo
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.,College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.,College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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19
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Abstract
Quickly preventing the retrieval of (inappropriate) long-term memories might recruit a similar control mechanism as rapid action-stopping. A very specific characteristic of rapid action-stopping is "global motor suppression": When a single response is rapidly stopped, there is a broad skeletomotor suppression. This is shown by the technique of TMS placed over a task-irrelevant part of the primary motor cortex (M1) to measure motor-evoked potentials. Here, we used this same TMS method to test if rapidly preventing long-term memory retrieval also shows this broad skeletomotor suppression effect. Twenty human participants underwent a Think/No-Think task. In the first phase, they learned word pairs. In the second phase, they received the left-hand word as a cue and had to either retrieve the associated right-hand word ("Think") or stop retrieval ("No-Think"). At the end of each trial, they reported whether they had experienced an intrusion of the associated memory. Behaviorally, on No-Think trials, they reported fewer intrusions than Think trials, and the reporting of intrusions decreased with practice. Physiologically, we observed that the motor-evoked potential, measured from the hand (which was irrelevant to the task), was reduced on No-Think trials in the time frame of 300-500 msec, especially on trials where they did report an intrusion. This unexpected result contradicted our preregistered prediction that we would find such a decrease on No-Think trials where the intrusion was not reported. These data suggest that one form of executive control over (inappropriate) long-term memory retrieval is a rapid and broad stop, akin to action-stopping, that is triggered by the intrusion itself.
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20
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Mary A, Dayan J, Leone G, Postel C, Fraisse F, Malle C, Vallée T, Klein-Peschanski C, Viader F, de la Sayette V, Peschanski D, Eustache F, Gagnepain P. Resilience after trauma: The role of memory suppression. Science 2020; 367:367/6479/eaay8477. [PMID: 32054733 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay8477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In the aftermath of trauma, little is known about why the unwanted and unbidden recollection of traumatic memories persists in some individuals but not others. We implemented neutral and inoffensive intrusive memories in the laboratory in a group of 102 individuals exposed to the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and 73 nonexposed individuals, who were not in Paris during the attacks. While reexperiencing these intrusive memories, nonexposed individuals and exposed individuals without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could adaptively suppress memory activity, but exposed individuals with PTSD could not. These findings suggest that the capacity to suppress memory is central to positive posttraumatic adaptation. A generalized disruption of the memory control system could explain the maladaptive and unsuccessful suppression attempts often seen in PTSD, and this disruption should be targeted by specific treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Mary
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Jacques Dayan
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France.,Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, Université Rennes 1, 35700 Rennes, France
| | - Giovanni Leone
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Charlotte Postel
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Florence Fraisse
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Carine Malle
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Thomas Vallée
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Carine Klein-Peschanski
- Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, HESAM Université, EHESS, CNRS, UMR8209, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Fausto Viader
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Vincent de la Sayette
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Denis Peschanski
- Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, HESAM Université, EHESS, CNRS, UMR8209, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Francis Eustache
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Pierre Gagnepain
- Normandie Université, UNICAEN, PSL Research University, EPHE, INSERM, U1077, CHU de Caen, GIP Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000 Caen, France.
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21
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Slepian ML, Greenaway KH, Masicampo EJ. Thinking Through Secrets: Rethinking the Role of Thought Suppression in Secrecy. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2020; 46:1411-1427. [PMID: 32107972 DOI: 10.1177/0146167219895017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Having secrets on the mind is associated with lower well-being, and a common view of secrets is that people work to suppress and avoid them-but might people actually want to think about their secrets? Four studies examining more than 11,000 real-world secrets found that the answer depends on the importance of the secret: People generally seek to engage with thoughts of significant secrets and seek to suppress thoughts of trivial secrets. Inconsistent with an ironic process account, adopting the strategy to suppress thoughts of a secret was not related to a tendency to think about the secret. Instead, adopting the strategy to engage with thoughts of a secret was related the tendency to think about the secret. Moreover, the temporal focus of one's thoughts moderated the relationship between mind-wandering to the secret and well-being, with a focus on the past exacerbating a harmful link. These results suggest that people do not universally seek to suppress their secrets; they also seek to engage with them, although not always effectively.
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22
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Motivated forgetting increases the recall time of learnt items: Behavioral and event related potential evidence. Brain Res 2020; 1729:146624. [PMID: 31881184 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We investigated modulation of the recall time in a motivated forgetting (MF) paradigm and the neural manifestation of it through event related potential (ERP) analysis. We studied whether compared to failed attempts in suppression, partial success can potentiate control mechanisms and this might manifest, neurally as modulation of ERP components related to conscious recollection, and behaviorally as delayed recall of learnt items. We employed a modified version of the Think\No-Think paradigm with dominant number of No-Think words (cued to forget). We defined a forgetting index as FI = Final Recall Time-Initial Recall Time. The MF trials were separated into three conditions according to their corresponding FI; Forget, Delayed Recall, and Recall conditions. The findings revealed significant late ERP effects in terms of a late parietal positivity (LPP), modulated by the item condition, that appeared to reflect the consequence of conscious suppression on actual retrieval of stored memory. Over the same topographic location, FI was negatively correlated with the LPP amplitude, demonstrating the consequence of inhibition processing during MF in modulating the recall time. The negative correlation between LPP and FI provides evidence that increased recall time due to MF is also related to reduced activity, probably in the hippocampal-parietal network, corresponding to recollection of suppressed memories.
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23
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Xie H, Chen Y, Lin Y, Hu X, Zhang D. Can’t forget: disruption of the right prefrontal cortex impairs voluntary forgetting in a recognition test. Memory 2019; 28:60-69. [DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2019.1681456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xie
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Chen
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yiqin Lin
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
- The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
- HKU, Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- College of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
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24
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Phelps EA, Hofmann SG. Memory editing from science fiction to clinical practice. Nature 2019; 572:43-50. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1433-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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25
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Wang Y, Luppi A, Fawcett J, Anderson MC. Reconsidering unconscious persistence: Suppressing unwanted memories reduces their indirect expression in later thoughts. Cognition 2019; 187:78-94. [PMID: 30852261 PMCID: PMC6446185 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2019.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
When we seek to forget unwelcome memories, does the suppressed content still exert an unconscious influence on our thoughts? Although intentionally stopping retrieval of a memory reduces later episodic retention for the suppressed trace, it remains unclear the extent to which suppressed content persists in indirectly influencing mental processes. Here we tested whether inhibitory control processes underlying retrieval suppression alter the influence of a memory's underlying semantic content on later thought. To achieve this, across two experiments, we tested whether suppressing episodic retrieval of to-be-excluded memories reduced the indirect expression of the unwanted content on an apparently unrelated test of problem solving: the remote associates test (RAT). Experiment 1 found that suppressed content was less likely than unsuppressed content to emerge as solutions to RAT problems. Indeed, suppression abolished evidence of conceptual priming, even when participants reported no awareness of the relationship between the memory and the problem solving tasks. Experiment 2 replicated this effect and also found that directing participants to use explicit memory to solve RAT problems eliminated suppression effects. Experiment 2 thus rules out the possibility that suppression effects reflect contamination by covert explicit retrieval strategies. Together, our results indicate that inhibitory control processes underlying retrieval suppression not only disrupt episodic retention, but also reduce the indirect influence of suppressed semantic content during unrelated thought processes. Considered with other recent demonstrations of implicit suppression effects, these findings indicate that historical assumptions about the persisting influence of suppressed thoughts on mental health require closer empirical scrutiny and need to be reconsidered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Wang
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, China
| | - Andrea Luppi
- Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, United States
| | - Jonathan Fawcett
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
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Taubenfeld A, Anderson MC, Levy DA. The impact of retrieval suppression on conceptual implicit memory. Memory 2019; 27:686-697. [PMID: 30522403 PMCID: PMC6425914 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2018.1554079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
When people suppress retrieval of episodic memories, it can induce forgetting on later direct tests of memory for those events. Recent reports indicate that suppressing retrieval affects less conscious, unintentional retrieval of unwanted memories as well, at least on perceptually-oriented indirect tests. In the current study we examined how suppressing retrieval affects conceptual implicit memory for the suppressed content, using a category verification task. Participants studied cue-target words pairs in which the targets were exemplars of 22 semantic categories, such as vegetables or occupations. They then repeatedly retrieved or suppressed the targets in response to the cues for some of those pairs. Afterwards, they were exposed to the targets intermixed with novel items, one at a time, and asked to verify the membership of each of the words in a semantic category, as quickly as possible. Judgment response times to studied words were faster than to unstudied exemplars, reflecting repetition priming, as has been previously observed. Strikingly, the beneficial effects of prior exposure on response time were eliminated for targets that had been suppressed. Follow-up explicit memory tests also demonstrated that retrieval suppression continued to disrupt episodic recall for the items that had been just been re-exposed on the category verification test. These findings support the contention that the effects of retrieval suppression are not limited to episodic memory, but also affect indirect expressions of those memories on conceptually oriented tests, raising the possibility that underlying semantic representations of suppressed content are affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Taubenfeld
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Michael C. Anderson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel A. Levy
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel
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Slepian ML, Halevy N, Galinsky AD. The Solitude of Secrecy: Thinking About Secrets Evokes Goal Conflict and Feelings of Fatigue. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2018; 45:1129-1151. [DOI: 10.1177/0146167218810770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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28
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Psychological Perspectives on Intentional Forgetting: An Overview of Concepts and Literature. KUNSTLICHE INTELLIGENZ 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s13218-018-00571-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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29
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Engen HG, Anderson MC. Memory Control: A Fundamental Mechanism of Emotion Regulation. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:982-995. [PMID: 30122359 PMCID: PMC6198111 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Memories play a ubiquitous role in our emotional lives, both causing vivid emotional experiences in their own right and imbuing perception of the external world with emotional significance. Controlling the emotional impact of memories therefore poses a major emotion-regulation challenge, suggesting that there might be a hitherto unexplored link between the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying memory control (MC) and emotion regulation. We present here a theoretical account of how the mechanisms of MC constitute core component processes of cognitive emotion regulation (CER), and how this observation may help to understand its basic mechanisms and their disruption in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haakon G Engen
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognitive and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Neuroimaging Center, University Medicine Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Michael C Anderson
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognitive and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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30
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Hensley CJ, Otani H, Knoll AR. Reducing negative emotional memories by retroactive interference. Cogn Emot 2018; 33:801-815. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2018.1504748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cody J. Hensley
- Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
| | - Hajime Otani
- Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
| | - Abby R. Knoll
- Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
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Mihailova S, Jobson L. Association between intrusive negative autobiographical memories and depression: A meta-analytic investigation. Clin Psychol Psychother 2018; 25:509-524. [PMID: 29473250 DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The study investigated several associations between depression and intrusive negative autobiographical memories. A systematic literature search identified 23 eligible studies (N = 2,582), which provided 59 effect sizes. Separate meta-analyses indicated that depression was moderately, positively associated with intrusive memory frequency, memory distress, maladaptive memory appraisals, memory avoidance, and memory rumination. Intrusive memory vividness was not significantly associated with depression. There were insufficient data to examine the relationship between depression and memory vantage perspective. Between-study heterogeneity was high for intrusive memory frequency and memory avoidance, and the percentage of females in studies significantly moderated the relationship between these variables and depression. An additional exploratory meta-analysis (3 studies; N = 257) indicated that intrusive memories were experienced more frequently by those with posttraumatic stress disorder than those with depression. Overall, the findings suggest that intrusive memories warrant clinical attention as they may contribute to the maintenance of depressive symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Mihailova
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Laura Jobson
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Kluge A, Gronau N. Intentional Forgetting in Organizations: The Importance of Eliminating Retrieval Cues for Implementing New Routines. Front Psychol 2018; 9:51. [PMID: 29449821 PMCID: PMC5799275 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To cope with the already large, and ever increasing, amount of information stored in organizational memory, "forgetting," as an important human memory process, might be transferred to the organizational context. Especially in intentionally planned change processes (e.g., change management), forgetting is an important precondition to impede the recall of obsolete routines and adapt to new strategic objectives accompanied by new organizational routines. We first comprehensively review the literature on the need for organizational forgetting and particularly on accidental vs. intentional forgetting. We discuss the current state of the art of theory and empirical evidence on forgetting from cognitive psychology in order to infer mechanisms applicable to the organizational context. In this respect, we emphasize retrieval theories and the relevance of retrieval cues important for forgetting. Subsequently, we transfer the empirical evidence that the elimination of retrieval cues leads to faster forgetting to the forgetting of organizational routines, as routines are part of organizational memory. We then propose a classification of cues (context, sensory, business process-related cues) that are relevant in the forgetting of routines, and discuss a meta-cue called the "situational strength" cue, which is relevant if cues of an old and a new routine are present simultaneously. Based on the classification as business process-related cues (information, team, task, object cues), we propose mechanisms to accelerate forgetting by eliminating specific cues based on the empirical and theoretical state of the art. We conclude that in intentional organizational change processes, the elimination of cues to accelerate forgetting should be used in change management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Kluge
- Industrial, Organisational and Business Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Norbert Gronau
- Business Informatics, Processes and Systems, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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Abstract
The concept of denial has its roots in psychoanalysis. Denial has been assumed to be effective in blocking unwanted memories. In two experiments, we report that denial has unique consequences for remembering. In our two experiments, participants viewed a video of a theft, and half of the participants had to deny seeing certain details in the video, whereas the other half had to tell the truth. One day later, all participants were given either a source-monitoring recognition or a recall task. In these tasks, they were instructed to indicate (1) whether they could remember talking about certain details and (2) whether they could recollect seeing those details in the video. In both experiments, we found that denial made participants forget that they had talked about these details, while leaving memory for the video itself unaffected. This denial-induced forgetting was evident for both the source-monitoring recognition and recall tests. Furthermore, when we asked participants after the experiment whether they could still not remember talking about these details, those who had to deny were most likely to report that they had forgotten talking about the details. In contrast to a widely held belief, we show that denial does not impair memory for the experienced stimuli, but that it has a unique ability to undermine memory for what has been talked about.
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Slepian ML, Bastian B. Truth or Punishment: Secrecy and Punishing the Self. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY BULLETIN 2017; 43:1595-1611. [DOI: 10.1177/0146167217717245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
We live in a world that values justice; when a crime is committed, just punishment is expected to follow. Keeping one’s misdeed secret therefore appears to be a strategic way to avoid (just) consequences. Yet, people may engage in self-punishment to right their own wrongs to balance their personal sense of justice. Thus, those who seek an escape from justice by keeping secrets may in fact end up serving that same justice on themselves (through self-punishment). Six studies demonstrate that thinking about secret (vs. confessed) misdeeds leads to increased self-punishment (increased denial of pleasure and seeking of pain). These effects were mediated by the feeling one deserved to be punished, moderated by the significance of the secret, and were observed for both self-reported and behavioral measures of self-punishment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brock Bastian
- The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Parallel Regulation of Memory and Emotion Supports the Suppression of Intrusive Memories. J Neurosci 2017; 37:6423-6441. [PMID: 28559378 PMCID: PMC5511877 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2732-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrusive memories often take the form of distressing images that emerge into a person's awareness, unbidden. A fundamental goal of clinical neuroscience is to understand the mechanisms allowing people to control these memory intrusions and reduce their emotional impact. Mnemonic control engages a right frontoparietal network that interrupts episodic retrieval by modulating hippocampal activity; less is known, however, about how this mechanism contributes to affect regulation. Here we report evidence in humans (males and females) that stopping episodic retrieval to suppress an unpleasant image triggers parallel inhibition of mnemonic and emotional content. Using fMRI, we found that regulation of both mnemonic and emotional content was driven by a shared frontoparietal inhibitory network and was predicted by a common profile of medial temporal lobe downregulation involving the anterior hippocampus and the amygdala. Critically, effective connectivity analysis confirmed that reduced amygdala activity was not merely an indirect consequence of hippocampal suppression; rather, both the hippocampus and the amygdala were targeted by a top-down inhibitory control signal originating from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This negative coupling was greater when unwanted memories intruded into awareness and needed to be purged. Together, these findings support the broad principle that retrieval suppression is achieved by regulating hippocampal processes in tandem with domain-specific brain regions involved in reinstating specific content, in an activity-dependent fashion. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Upsetting events sometimes trigger intrusive images that cause distress and that may contribute to psychiatric disorders. People often respond to intrusions by suppressing their retrieval, excluding them from awareness. Here we examined whether suppressing aversive images might also alter emotional responses to them, and the mechanisms underlying such changes. We found that the better people were at suppressing intrusions, the more it reduced their emotional responses to suppressed images. These dual effects on memory and emotion originated from a common right prefrontal cortical mechanism that downregulated the hippocampus and amygdala in parallel. Thus, suppressing intrusions affected emotional content. Importantly, participants who did not suppress intrusions well showed increased negative affect, suggesting that suppression deficits render people vulnerable to psychiatric disorders.
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