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Merín L, Mateo A, Nieto M, Ros L, Latorre JM. Language and autobiographical memory development from 5 to 12 years: A longitudinal perspective. Mem Cognit 2024:10.3758/s13421-024-01544-5. [PMID: 38443518 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-024-01544-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The main aim of this study, with two repeated measurements, was to analyze the development of autobiographical memory in a sample of 78 Spanish participants at ages 5 (Time 1; M = 62.43 months, range: 50-74 months) and 12 (Time 2; M = 142.71 months, range: 132-155 months). Data were collected on autobiographical memory and verbal functions. We analyzed the relation between language and autobiographical memory specificity from a longitudinal perspective and assessed the indirect effect of vocabulary in the relationship between age and specific memory at both temporal moments. The results showed that language skills were positively related with autobiographical memory specificity at preschool age, but not at the second measurement. Furthermore, vocabulary scores appear to mediate the relationship between age and autobiographical specificity when children are in the preschool years, but not later. These findings agree with previous research that consider preschool age to be a crucial period for the development of autobiographical memory and its relations with language, but once basic command of language is acquired, linguistic differences impact much less on individual differences in autobiographical specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Llanos Merín
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla, La Mancha, Avenida de Almansa 14, 02006, Albacete, Spain
- Applied Cognitive Psychology Unit University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Alonso Mateo
- Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - Marta Nieto
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla, La Mancha, Avenida de Almansa 14, 02006, Albacete, Spain.
- Applied Cognitive Psychology Unit University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain.
| | - Laura Ros
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla, La Mancha, Avenida de Almansa 14, 02006, Albacete, Spain
- Applied Cognitive Psychology Unit University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | - José Miguel Latorre
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla, La Mancha, Avenida de Almansa 14, 02006, Albacete, Spain
- Applied Cognitive Psychology Unit University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
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2
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Leger KR, Cowell RA, Gutchess A. Do cultural differences emerge at different levels of representational hierarchy? Mem Cognit 2024; 52:241-253. [PMID: 37735292 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01459-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
In prior research, Eastern and Western culture groups differ in memory specificity for objects. However, these studies used concrete object stimuli, which carry semantic information that may be confounded with culture. Additionally, the perceptual properties of the stimuli were not tightly controlled. Therefore, it cannot be precisely determined whether the observed cross-cultural differences are generalizable across different stimulus types and memory task demands. In prior studies, Americans demonstrated higher memory specificity than East Asians, but this may be due to Americans being more attuned to the low-level features that distinguish studied items from similar lures, rather than general memory differences. To determine whether this pattern of cross-cultural memory differences emerges irrespective of stimulus properties, we tested American and East Asian young adults using a recognition memory task employing abstract stimuli for which attention to conjunctions of features was critical for discrimination. Additionally, in order to more precisely determine the influence of stimulus and task on culture differences, participants also completed a concrete objects memory task identical to the one used in prior research. The results of the abstract objects task mirror the pattern seen in prior studies with concrete objects: Americans showed generally higher levels of recognition memory performance than East Asians for studied abstract items, whether discriminating them from similar or entirely new items. Results from the current concrete object task generally replicated this pattern. This suggests cross-cultural memory differences generalize across stimulus types and task demands, rather than reflecting differential sensitivity to low-level features or higher-level conjunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krystal R Leger
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
| | - Rosemary A Cowell
- Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Angela Gutchess
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
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3
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Fritch HA, Jeye BM, Spets DS, Scali RP, Thakral PP, Slotnick SD. Prefrontal cortex-mediated inhibition supports face recognition. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 334:111693. [PMID: 37515914 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Inhibitory processes are thought to be important for memory function. A recent behavioral study that employed a face recognition paradigm reported that participants made fewer "old" responses to highly similar faces than less similar faces, providing evidence that memory for faces may rely on related-item inhibition. However, these results could also be explained by a non-inhibitory recall-to-reject process. The current study sought to use fMRI connectivity analysis to distinguish between these hypotheses. Although both hypotheses predict correct rejection of highly similar faces will produce activity in the prefrontal cortex, the inhibition hypothesis predicts negative connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and regions associated with memory retrieval and face processing, whereas the recall-to-reject hypothesis predicts positive connectivity between these regions. During the study phase, participants were presented with male and female faces. During the test phase, they viewed old faces, related face morphs (20-80% similar to old faces), and new faces, and made "old"-"new" judgements. Correct rejection of highly similar face morphs was associated with increased activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex and negative connectivity between this region and regions associated with face processing and memory retrieval. These results indicate that prefrontal cortex-mediated memory inhibition supports face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley A Fritch
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, United States.
| | - Brittany M Jeye
- Department of Psychology, Worcester State University, United States
| | - Dylan S Spets
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Rachael P Scali
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, United States
| | - Preston P Thakral
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, United States
| | - Scott D Slotnick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, United States
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Adelina N, Chiu CHM, Lam K, Takano K, Barry TJ. Social operant conditioning of autobiographical memory sharing. Behav Res Ther 2023; 168:104385. [PMID: 37598525 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
The memories for past autobiographical experiences that we share can influence relationship formation and consolidation with important implications for our mental health. However, little is known about how people's responses to our memories can influence subsequent memory sharing. Previous research examined how operant processes (i.e., punishment with aversive sounds) influence the sharing of memories for specific events from our past. Understanding the (social) mechanisms associated with difficulty sharing specific autobiographical memories is important given the association between these difficulties and a range of psychiatric diagnoses. We investigate the effects of verbal and non-verbal social operants on the willingness to share specific autobiographical memories. Participants shared memories with a confederate who coded their memories as specific or non-specific and responded in either an engaged/attentive, dismissive manner or gave no feedback depending on participants' assigned condition. Participants who were reinforced for sharing specific memories and punished for sharing non-specific memories, were more likely to share specific than non-specific memories compared to those who received no feedback. Reinforcement alone was not sufficient for modifying specificity. The ways that we respond to people when they share memories with us can influence their subsequent willingness to share specific events from their past.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Adelina
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | | | - K Lam
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - K Takano
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany
| | - T J Barry
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Psychology, University of Bath, UK.
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5
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Greene NR, Naveh-Benjamin M. Forgetting of specific and gist visual associative episodic memory representations across time. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:1484-1501. [PMID: 36877363 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02256-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Associative binding between components of an episode is vulnerable to forgetting across time. We investigated whether these forgetting effects on inter-item associative memory occur only at specific or also at gist levels of representation. In two experiments, young adult participants (n = 90, and 86, respectively) encoded face-scene pairs and were then tested either immediately after encoding or following a 24-hour delay. Tests featured conjoint recognition judgments, in which participants were tasked with discriminating intact pairs from highly similar foils, less similar foils, and completely dissimilar foils. In both experiments, the 24-hour delay resulted in deficits in specific memory for face-scene pairs, as measured using multinomial-processing-tree analyses. In Experiment 1, gist memory was not affected by the 24-hour delay, but when associative memory was strengthened through pair repetition (Experiment 2), deficits in gist memory following a 24-hour delay were observed. Results suggest that specific representations of associations in episodic memory, and under some conditions gist representations, as well, are susceptible to forgetting across time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel R Greene
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, 9J McAlester Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
| | - Moshe Naveh-Benjamin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, 106 McAlester Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
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El Matine R, Kreutzmann JC, Fendt M. Chronic unilateral inhibition of GABA synthesis in the amygdala increases specificity of conditioned fear in a discriminative fear conditioning paradigm in rats. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 124:110732. [PMID: 36792003 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Neural activity in the amygdala is critical for fear learning. In anxiety disorder patients, bilateral hyperactivity of the amygdala can be observed. This hyperactivation is often associated with the facilitation of fear learning and/or over-generalization of conditioned fear. In contrast, hypoactivity of the amygdala, e.g. by pharmacological interventions, attenuates or blocks fear learning. To date, little is known about how neural excitability of the amygdala affects specificity or generalization of fear. Therefore, the present study utilized chronic inhibition of GABA synthesis in the amygdala to increase excitability and investigated the effect on the specificity of fear learning. In rats, unilateral cannulas aiming at the amygdala were implanted. The cannulas were connected to subcutaneously implanted osmotic mini pumps that delivered either the GABA synthesis inhibitor L-allylglycine or its inactive enantiomer D-allylglycine. Following one week of chronic GABA synthesis manipulation, the rats were submitted to a discriminative fear conditioning protocol. In addition, anxiety-like behavior in the light-dark box was measured. Our data show that chronic unilateral L-AG infusions into the amygdala improve the specificity of learned fear, support safety learning, and reduce fear generalization and anxiety. This data demonstrates that moderately increased amygdala excitability can be beneficial for the specificity of fear learning and highlights the potential application for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rami El Matine
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Judith C Kreutzmann
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.
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Gazarini L, Stern CAJ, Bertoglio LJ. On making (and turning adaptive to) maladaptive aversive memories in laboratory rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 147:105101. [PMID: 36804263 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Fear conditioning and avoidance tasks usually elicit adaptive aversive memories. Traumatic memories are more intense, generalized, inflexible, and resistant to attenuation via extinction- and reconsolidation-based strategies. Inducing and assessing these dysfunctional, maladaptive features in the laboratory are crucial to interrogating posttraumatic stress disorder's neurobiology and exploring innovative treatments. Here we analyze over 350 studies addressing this question in adult rats and mice. There is a growing interest in modeling several qualitative and quantitative memory changes by exposing already stressed animals to freezing- and avoidance-related tests or using a relatively high aversive training magnitude. Other options combine aversive/fearful tasks with post-acquisition or post-retrieval administration of one or more drugs provoking neurochemical or epigenetic alterations reported in the trauma aftermath. It is potentially instructive to integrate these procedures and incorporate the measurement of autonomic and endocrine parameters. Factors to consider when defining the organismic and procedural variables, partially neglected aspects (sex-dependent differences and recent vs. remote data comparison) and suggestions for future research (identifying reliable individual risk and treatment-response predictors) are discussed.
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Pile V, Schlepper LK, Lau JYF, Leamy M. An early intervention for adolescent depression targeting emotional mental images and memory specificity: a process evaluation. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2021. [PMID: 34786629 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-021-01902-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
We have evaluated a novel early intervention for adolescent depression (age 16-18) in a feasibility randomised controlled trial. This nested process evaluation aimed to understand how this complex intervention worked. We sought to understand participants' views and experiences of receiving and interacting with the intervention to evaluate whether the underpinning theoretical basis of the intervention is justified and whether it contributes to valued outcomes for participants. Twelve participants were invited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Framework analysis was employed to identify important aspects of adolescents' experiences. The active ingredients identified by participants were consistent with and extended our understanding of the theoretical basis of the intervention. Four principle themes were identified: understanding how memory works and being able to remember memories in more detail; processing negative experiences and letting go; imagining positive future events; and understanding and being kinder to myself. The outcomes of the intervention were valued by participants. Six principle themes were identified: improving mood and well-being; reducing impact of negative memories; motivation and goal-directed behaviour; overcoming avoidance and rumination; relationships, communication and being open; and self-understanding and acceptance. A simplified logic model is also proposed to connect the intervention components, active ingredients, and valued outcomes. The findings provide an in-depth understanding of how participants interacted with the intervention and what they derived from it. For example, the findings establish processing negative experiences as a core intervention component, extend it to include letting go of these memories, and highlight that reducing the impact of negative memories is valued by participants. This richer understanding guides further intervention development and future implementation.
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Witkowski S, Noh S, Lee V, Grimaldi D, Preston AR, Paller KA. Does memory reactivation during sleep support generalization at the cost of memory specifics? Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 182:107442. [PMID: 33892076 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sleep is important for memory, but does it favor consolidation of specific details or extraction of generalized information? Both may occur together when memories are reactivated during sleep, or a loss of certain memory details may facilitate generalization. To examine these issues, we tested memory in participants who viewed landscape paintings by six artists. Paintings were cropped to show only a section of the scene. During a learning phase, each painting section was presented with the artist's name and with a nonverbal sound that had been uniquely associated with that artist. In a test of memory for specifics, participants were shown arrays of six painting sections, all by the same artist. Participants attempted to select the one that was seen in the learning phase. Generalization was tested by asking participants to view new paintings and, for each one, decide which of the six artists created it. After this testing, participants had a 90-minute sleep opportunity with polysomnographic monitoring. When slow-wave sleep was detected, three of the sound cues associated with the artists were repeatedly presented without waking the participants. After sleep, participants were again tested for memory specifics and generalization. Memory reactivation during sleep due to the sound cues led to a relative decline in accuracy on the specifics test, which could indicate the transition to a loss of detail that facilitates generalization, particularly details such as the borders. Generalization performance showed very little change after sleep and was unaffected by the sound cues. Although results tentatively implicate sleep in memory transformation, further research is needed to examine memory change across longer time periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Witkowski
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States.
| | - Sharon Noh
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States; Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Victoria Lee
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Daniela Grimaldi
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alison R Preston
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States; Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Ken A Paller
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
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Sommer VR, Mount L, Weigelt S, Werkle-Bergner M, Sander MC. Memory specificity is linked to repetition effects in event-related potentials across the lifespan. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 48:100926. [PMID: 33556880 PMCID: PMC7868631 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The specificity with which past experiences can be remembered varies across the lifespan, possibly due to differences in how precisely information is encoded. Memory formation can be investigated through repetition effects, the common finding that neural activity is altered when stimuli are repeated. However, whether differences in this indirect measure of memory formation relate to lifespan differences in memory specificity has not yet been established. In the present study, we examined repetition effects in event-related potentials and their relation to recognition. During incidental encoding, children (aged 7-9 years), young adults (18-30 years), and older adults (65-76 years) viewed repeated object images from different categories. During subsequent recognition, we distinguished memory for the specific items versus the general categories. We identified repetition suppression in all age groups, and repetition enhancement for adults. Furthermore, individual item recognition performance comprising lure discrimination was positively associated with the magnitude of the neural repetition effects, which did not differ between groups, indicating common neural mechanisms of memory formation. Our findings demonstrate that neural repetition effects reflect the formation of highly specific memory representations and highlight their significance as a neural indicator of individual differences in episodic memory encoding across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena R Sommer
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Luzie Mount
- Department for Vision, Visual Impairments & Blindness, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, TU Dortmund University, Germany
| | - Sarah Weigelt
- Department for Vision, Visual Impairments & Blindness, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, TU Dortmund University, Germany
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Myriam C Sander
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
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Salmon K, Isler L, Jose P, Glynn R, Mitchell C, Dewhirst M, Buxton B, Gutenbrunner C, Reese E. Delving into the detail: Greater episodic detail in narratives of a critical life event predicts an increase in adolescent depressive symptoms across one year. Behav Res Ther 2021; 137:103798. [PMID: 33421894 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Depressed people have reduced ability to recall specific autobiographical memories, yet the role of reduced memory specificity in the development of adolescent depression is unclear. Two reasons are the limited longitudinal studies with this age group and the dominant use of just one measure of memory specificity, the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986). In the current one-year longitudinal study, community adolescents (N = 132, M = 16.13 years at Time 1) wrote about a life turning point, and their narratives were coded with respect to the amount of episodic and semantic detail. Participants also completed an adapted version of the Minimal Instructions AMT. Greater episodic detail in young people's turning point narrative was positively associated with depressive symptoms separately at Times 1 and 2, and uniquely predicted increases in depressive symptoms across the year. A non-positive valence of the turning point resolution also positively predicted Time 2 depressive symptoms. In contrast, specificity as assessed by the AMT did not predict such an increase. The results suggest that episodic detail in highly self-relevant narratives may be a sensitive predictor of increases in adolescent depressive symptoms across time. We consider excessive self focus and retrieval style as potential explanations of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Salmon
- Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand.
| | - Laina Isler
- Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Paul Jose
- Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Ruth Glynn
- Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Mary Dewhirst
- Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Belinda Buxton
- Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Elaine Reese
- University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Hallford DJ, Carmichael AM, Austin DW, Takano K, Raes F, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz M. A study protocol for a randomised trial of adjunct computerised memory specificity training (c-MeST) for major depression in youth: targeting cognitive mechanisms to enhance usual care outcomes in mental health settings. Trials 2020; 21:85. [PMID: 31937350 PMCID: PMC6961400 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-019-4036-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Youth depression is highly prevalent and is related to impairments in academic, social and behavioural functioning. Evidence-based treatments are available, but many young people do not respond or sufficiently recover with first-line options, and a significant proportion experience relapse. Consequently, there is clear scope to enhance intervention in this critical period of early-onset depression. Memory specificity training (MeST) is a low-intensity intervention for depression that targets reduced specificity when recalling memories of the past, a common cognitive vulnerability in depression. This randomised controlled trial will assess the efficacy of adding a computerised version of MeST (c-MeST) to usual care for youth depression. Methods/design Young people aged 15–25 years with a major depressive episode (MDE) will be recruited and randomised to have immediate access to the seven session online c-MeST program in addition to usual care, or to usual care and wait-list for c-MeST. The primary outcomes will be diagnostic status of an MDE and self-reported depressive symptoms assessed at baseline, 1-, 3- and 6-month intervals. Autobiographical memory specificity and other variables thought to contribute to the maintenance of reduced memory specificity and depression will be assessed as mediators of change. Discussion Online provision of c-MeST provides a simple, low-intensity option for targeting a cognitive vulnerability that predicts the persistence of depressive symptoms. If found to be efficacious as an adjunct to usual care for depressed youth, it could be suitable for broader roll-out, as c-MeST is highly accessible and implementation requires only minimal resources due to the online and automated nature of intervention. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12619000234112p. Registered on the 18 February 2019. All items from the WHO Trial Registration Data Set can be found within the protocol. Protocol version 1.0
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Hallford
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, 3220, Australia. .,School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria, 3125, Australia.
| | - A M Carmichael
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, 3220, Australia
| | - D W Austin
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, 3220, Australia
| | - K Takano
- Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Leopoldstr. 131, 80802, Munich, Germany
| | - F Raes
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3712, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - M Fuller-Tyszkiewicz
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, 3220, Australia
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Pillersdorf D, Scoboria A. Cannabis-associated impairments in the fading affect bias and autobiographical memory specificity. Conscious Cogn 2019; 74:102792. [PMID: 31349209 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We investigated potential relationships between cannabis use and 2 phenomena associated with autobiographical remembering: the fading affect bias (FAB) and memory specificity. The FAB is an emotional affect regulation mechanism that is observed when the intensity of affect associated with experiencing negative memories fades faster than the intensity of affect associated with experiencing positive memories. Memory specificity refers to the level of detail with which events are recalled. No studies have examined the relationships between cannabis use, the FAB, and memory specificity simultaneously. Chronic cannabis users (N = 47) and non-users (N = 52) recalled and described positive and negative autobiographical events and rated the affective intensity for the events at the time of occurrence and at time of test. Participants retrieved additional memories using a sentence-completion recall task, which were coded for specificity. Cannabis users showed reduced fading affect for unpleasant events and reduced memory specificity compared to non-users.
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Vanderveren E, Bijttebier P, Hermans D. Autobiographical memory coherence and specificity: Examining their reciprocal relation and their associations with internalizing symptoms and rumination. Behav Res Ther 2019; 116:30-35. [PMID: 30780119 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Autobiographical memories consist of different features that have been shown to relate to psychological well-being and psychopathology. Two such characteristics show quite some overlap, namely memory coherence and memory specificity, although their association has never been investigated before. In this study, we examined the association between memory coherence and memory specificity in a sample of first-year psychology students. Additionally, to gain more insight into the relation between memory coherence and psychopathology, we investigated the association with known correlates of memory specificity, namely internalizing symptoms and rumination. We found that narrating about personal experiences in a coherent manner is related to retrieving more specific memories. However, the association between memory coherence and memory specificity was rather weak. Furthermore, we found that memory coherence was negatively associated with the level of depressive symptoms and could predict these symptoms even after controlling for memory specificity and rumination. Given the potential clinical importance of these findings, future research should focus on examining the specific circumstances in which memory coherence is related to psychopathology, and on mechanisms that could explain this association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elien Vanderveren
- Center for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | | | - Dirk Hermans
- Center for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Rubin DC, Deffler SA, Umanath S. Scenes enable a sense of reliving: Implications for autobiographical memory. Cognition 2019; 183:44-56. [PMID: 30412854 PMCID: PMC6322930 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2018.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Autobiographical memory has been defined by the phenomenological properties of reliving, vividness, and belief that an event occurred. Neuropsychological damage that results in the inability to recall the layout of a scene also results in amnesia suggesting a possible milder effect in people without such neurological damage. Based on this and other observations, we hypothesized that the degree to which the layout of a scene is recalled will correlate positively with ratings of reliving, vividness, and belief, and will explain more variance in multiple regressions than recalling the scene's contents. We also hypothesized that a lack of layout underlies nonspecific autobiographical memories which are common in aging, future events, and clinical disorders, whereas currently such memories are most commonly measured by reports of extended duration. We tested these theory-driven novel hypotheses in three studies to replicate our results. In each study, approximately 200 participants rated the layout, content, and other properties of personal events. Correlational analyses in each study and a structural equation model for the combined studies provide strong support for the role of mental scene construction in an integrative neurocognitive approach to clarify cognitive theory and clinical phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Rubin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0086, USA; Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000C, Denmark.
| | - Samantha A Deffler
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA, USA.
| | - Sharda Umanath
- Department of Psychology, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, USA.
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16
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Roberts JE, Yanes-Lukin P, Kyung Y. Distinctions between autobiographical memory specificity and detail: Trajectories across cue presentations. Conscious Cogn 2018; 65:342-351. [PMID: 30181070 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Revised: 08/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Autobiographical memory is central to identity and self-awareness, but individuals with depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder tend to have overgeneral memories. Recent research has suggested that the ability to retrieve specific memories and individual differences in the amount of detail in specific memories are independent (Kyung, Yanes-Lukin, & Roberts, 2016). We re-analyzed data from Kyung et al. to test whether these constructs are distinct in terms of their trajectories over cue presentations. Results indicated a U-shaped trajectory for specificity, but a inverted-U trajectory for detail, suggesting a dissociation in which periods of decreasing probability of retrieving specific memories correspond to increasing amounts of detail. Further, trajectories had similar forms when memories included emotional content, but differed for recollections that did not include emotional content. Finally, at the individual level, slopes for specificity and detail across trials were uncorrelated. These findings provide further support for the independence of these constructs.
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Küper K. On the functional significance of retrieval mode: Task switching disrupts the recollection of conceptual stimulus information from episodic memory. Brain Res 2018; 1678:1-11. [PMID: 28986084 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Episodic memory retrieval is assumed to be associated with the tonic cognitive state of retrieval mode. Despite extensive research into the neurophysiological correlates of retrieval mode, as of yet, relatively little is known about its functional significance. The present event-related potential (ERP) study was aimed at examining the impact of retrieval mode on the specificity of memory content retrieved in the course of familiarity and recollection processes. In two experiments, participants performed a recognition memory inclusion task in which they had to distinguish identically repeated and re-colored versions of study items from new items. In Experiment 1, participants had to alternate between the episodic memory task and a semantic task requiring a natural/artificial decision. In Experiment 2, the two tasks were instead performed in separate blocks. ERPs locked to the preparatory cues in the test phases indicated that participants did not establish retrieval mode on switch trials in Experiment 1. In the absence of retrieval mode, neither type of studied item elicited ERP correlates of familiarity-based retrieval (FN400). Recollection-related late positive complex (LPC) old/new effects emerged only for identically repeated but not for conceptually identical but perceptually changed versions of study items. With blocked retrieval in Experiment 2, both types of old items instead elicited equivalent FN400 and LPC old/new effects. The LPC data indicate that retrieval mode may play an important role in the successful recollection of conceptual stimulus information. The FN400 results additionally suggest that task switching may have a detrimental effect on familiarity-based memory retrieval.
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18
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Takano K, Moriya J, Raes F. Lost in distractors: Reduced Autobiographical Memory Specificity and dispersed activation spreading over distractors in working memory. Behav Res Ther 2017; 94:19-35. [PMID: 28441521 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2017.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Studies on autobiographical memory retrieval highlight the prominence of rapid and direct access to a specific event memory. Because it has been believed that autobiographical memory retrieval mostly relies on an effortful generative process, there is little empirical evidence on the early stage of information processing that contributes to autobiographical memory specificity (AMS). Therefore, we investigated the associations between AMS and automatic activation of information stimulated by rapid presentation of emotional words. Study 1 involved a visual search task to assess activation of various distractors in working memory. Participants with reduced AMS showed a tendency to activate distractors that were not semantically associated with preceding cues. In Study 2, we manipulated the levels of AMS by using a computerized version of Memory Specificity Training (c-MeST) to observe the changes in the activation of distractors. Results showed that increases in AMS were associated with decreases in activation of cue-unassociated distractors. These findings suggest that reduced AMS can be characterized by dispersed activation spreading over semantically unassociated distractors in automatic information selection of working memory. Because we also found an association between depressive symptoms and AMS, the role of automatic information processing in the relation between reduced AMS and depression is discussed.
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Takano K, Mori M, Nishiguchi Y, Moriya J, Raes F. Psychometric properties of the written version of the autobiographical memory test in a japanese community sample. Psychiatry Res 2017; 248:56-63. [PMID: 28013087 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The autobiographical memory test (AMT) is a widely used measure to assess the specificity of autobiographical memories. Reduced Autobiographical Memory Specificity (AMS) or increased overgeneralization of memories is considered as a cognitive hallmark of depression. Therefore, reduced AMS is the subject of much psychopathological research, and is a promising target for psychological interventions. Although considerable evidence has been gathered on the clinical relevance of reduced AMS over the past decades, studies on AMS have been mainly conducted in Western populations, and few have been conducted in Asian populations. This could be because of the unknown psychometric properties of the AMT given cultural and language differences. Therefore, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the AMT in a Japanese community sample (N=1240). Our data replicated that (a) the AMT has a uni-factorial structure; (b) AMS has a small but statistically significant negative correlation with depressive symptoms; (c) AMS shows a significant declining trend as a function of age, which influences the magnitude of the association between AMS and depressive symptoms in older adults. These findings suggest that the AMT has robust psychometric properties across different languages and cultural backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Takano
- Center for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Masaki Mori
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Yuki Nishiguchi
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
| | - Jun Moriya
- Department of Sociology, Kansai University, 3-3-35, Yamate-cho, Suita-shi, Osaka 564-8680, Japan
| | - Filip Raes
- Center for the Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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20
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Urlacher E, Monchanin C, Rivière C, Richard FJ, Lombardi C, Michelsen-Heath S, Hageman KJ, Mercer AR. Measurements of Chlorpyrifos Levels in Forager Bees and Comparison with Levels that Disrupt Honey Bee Odor-Mediated Learning Under Laboratory Conditions. J Chem Ecol 2016; 42:127-38. [PMID: 26872472 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-016-0672-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Revised: 12/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide used around the world to protect food crops against insects and mites. Despite guidelines for chlorpyrifos usage, including precautions to protect beneficial insects, such as honeybees from spray drift, this pesticide has been detected in bees in various countries, indicating that exposure still occurs. Here, we examined chlorpyrifos levels in bees collected from 17 locations in Otago, New Zealand, and compared doses of this pesticide that cause sub-lethal effects on learning performance under laboratory conditions with amounts of chlorpyrifos detected in the bees in the field. The pesticide was detected at 17 % of the sites sampled and in 12 % of the colonies examined. Amounts detected ranged from 35 to 286 pg.bee(-1), far below the LD50 of ~100 ng.bee(-1). We detected no adverse effect of chlorpyrifos on aversive learning, but the formation and retrieval of appetitive olfactory memories was severely affected. Chlorpyrifos fed to bees in amounts several orders of magnitude lower than the LD50, and also lower than levels detected in bees, was found to slow appetitive learning and reduce the specificity of memory recall. As learning and memory play a central role in the behavioral ecology and communication of foraging bees, chlorpyrifos, even in sublethal doses, may threaten the success and survival of this important insect pollinator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Urlacher
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
| | - Coline Monchanin
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Coraline Rivière
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Freddie-Jeanne Richard
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des intéractions, UMR CNRS 7267, Team Ecologie Evolution Symbiose, University of Poitiers, 6, rue Michel Brunet, TSA 51106, F-86073, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Christie Lombardi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Union Street West, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Sue Michelsen-Heath
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Kimberly J Hageman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, Union Street West, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Alison R Mercer
- University of Otago, Department of Zoology, 340 Great King Street PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
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Berkers RMWJ, Klumpers F, Fernández G. Medial prefrontal-hippocampal connectivity during emotional memory encoding predicts individual differences in the loss of associative memory specificity. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 134 Pt A:44-54. [PMID: 26868478 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Emotionally charged items are often remembered better, whereas a paradoxical loss of specificity is found for associative emotional information (specific memory). The balance between specific and generalized emotional memories appears to show large individual differences, potentially related to differences in (the risk for) affective disorders that are characterized by 'overgeneralized' emotional memories. Here, we investigate the neural underpinnings of individual differences in emotional associative memory. A large group of healthy male participants were scanned while encoding associations of face-photographs and written occupational identities that were of either neutral ('driver') or negative ('murderer') valence. Subsequently, memory was tested by prompting participants to retrieve the occupational identities corresponding to each face. Whereas in both valence categories a similar amount of faces was labeled correctly with 'neutral' and 'negative' identities, (gist memory), specific associations were found to be less accurately remembered when the occupational identity was negative compared to neutral (specific memory). This pattern of results suggests reduced memory specificity for associations containing a negatively valenced component. The encoding of these negative associations was paired with a selective increase in medial prefrontal cortex activity and medial prefrontal-hippocampal connectivity. Individual differences in valence-specific neural connectivity were predictive of valence-specific reduction of memory specificity. The relationship between loss of emotional memory specificity and medial prefrontal-hippocampal connectivity is in line with the hypothesized role of a medial prefrontal-hippocampal circuit in regulating memory specificity, and warrants further investigations in individuals displaying 'overgeneralized' emotional memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruud M W J Berkers
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Floris Klumpers
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Potheegadoo J, Berna F, Cuervo-Lombard C, Danion JM. Field visual perspective during autobiographical memory recall is less frequent among patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2013; 150:88-92. [PMID: 23932447 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2013.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2013] [Revised: 06/29/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in clinical research regarding the visual perspective adopted during memory retrieval, because it reflects individuals' self-attitude towards their memories of past personal events. Several autobiographical memory deficits, including low specificity of personal memories, have been identified in schizophrenia, but visual perspective during autobiographical memory retrieval has not yet been investigated in patients. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the visual perspective with which patients visualize themselves when recalling autobiographical memories and to assess the specificity of their memories which is a major determinant of visual perspective. Thirty patients with schizophrenia and 30 matched controls recalled personal events from 4 life periods. After each recall, they were asked to report their visual perspective (Field or Observer) associated with the event. The specificity of their memories was assessed by independent raters. Our results showed that patients reported significantly fewer Field perspectives than comparison participants. Patients' memories, whether recalled with Field or Observer perspectives, were less specific and less detailed. Our results indicate that patients with schizophrenia adopt Field perspectives less frequently than comparison participants, and that this may contribute to a weakened sense of the individual of being an actor of his past events, and hence to a reduced sense of self. They suggest that this may be related to low specificity of memories and that all the important aspects involved in re-experiencing autobiographical events are impaired in patients with schizophrenia.
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