autobiographical

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by autobiographical memory deficits, with the ability to retrieve episodic-rich memories being particularly affected. Here, we investigated the influence of AD on a specific subtype of episodic memories known as flashbulb memories (i.e., the ability to remember the personal circumstances for the reception of important news events). We examined the frequency, characteristics, and the temporal distribution of flashbulb memories across the life span. To this aim, 28 older adults diagnosed with AD and a matched sample of 29 healthy older controls were probed for flashbulb memories for two historical events from each decade of their lives...

Neuroimaging studies using autobiographical recall methods investigated the neural correlates of happy autobiographical memories (AMs). The scope of the present activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis was to quantitatively analyze neuroimaging studies of happy AMs conducted with autobiographical recall paradigms. A total of 17 studies (12 fMRI; 5 PET) on healthy individuals were included in this meta-analysis. During recall of happy life events, consistent activation foci were found in the frontal gyrus, the cingulate cortex, the basal ganglia, the parahippocampus/hippocampus, the hypothalamus, and the thalamus...

Researchers debate whether recurrent involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs; memories of one's personal past retrieved unintentionally and repetitively) are pathological or ordinary. While some argue that these memories contribute to clinical disorders, recurrent IAMs are also common in everyday life. Here, we examined how the content of recurrent IAMs might distinguish between those that are maladaptive (related to worse mental health) versus benign (unrelated to mental health). Over two years, 6187 undergraduates completed online surveys about recurrent IAMs; those who experienced recurrent IAMs within the past year were asked to describe their memories, resulting in 3624 text descriptions...

The current study examined how people's metamemory judgments of recollection and belief-in-occurrence change over time. Furthermore, we examined to what extent these judgments are affected by memory distrust - the subjective appraisal of one's memory functioning - as measured by the Memory Distrust Scale (MDS) and the Squire Subjective Memory Scale (SSMQ). Participants ( N  = 234) studied pictorial stimuli and were tested on some of these stimuli later in the same session, but were tested on other stimuli 1, 2, 4, 8, and 17 days later...

Nostalgia, a self-related emotion characterized by its bittersweet yet predominantly positive nature, plays a vital role in shaping individual psychology and behavior. This includes impacts on mental and physical health, behavioral patterns, and cognitive functions. However, higher levels of trait nostalgia may be linked to potential adverse outcomes, such as increased loneliness, heightened neuroticism, and more intense experiences of grief. The specific electroencephalography (EEG) feature associated with individuals exhibiting trait nostalgia, and how it differs from others, remains an area of uncertainty...

The default mode network (DMN) typically deactivates to external tasks, yet supports semantic cognition. It comprises medial temporal (MT), core, and fronto-temporal (FT) subsystems, but its functional organisation is unclear: the requirement for perceptual coupling versus decoupling, input modality (visual/verbal), type of information (social/spatial) and control demands all potentially affect its recruitment. We examined the effect of these factors on activation and deactivation of DMN subsystems during semantic cognition, across four task-based human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets, and localised these responses in whole-brain state space defined by gradients of intrinsic connectivity...

Reminiscence-based interventions focus on recalling autobiographical memories and reflective reasoning to develop a healthy and adaptive view of oneself and one's life. This study aimed to replicate the effects of a three-session, group-based, positive-memory version of cognitive-reminiscence therapy (CRT) on psychological resources and mental well-being and extend the findings to anticipated pleasure. The participants ( N  = 75, M age  = 43.7 ( SD  = 16.7), 60% females) were randomised to CRT or control group...

This paper explores the intricate nexus of writing and psychoanalysis by addressing a key question: In what and how many directions should analytic writing be ethical? The author structures the argument across three axes. First, in an introduction, writing's role as a psychoanalytic invariant is emphasized. Then, an exploration ensues, delving into writing as praxis, navigating complex technical choices, from micro- to macro-perspectives in clinical vignettes, their autobiographical essence, their relevance as models for theory, self-revelation, etc...

Post ambulatory swollen hands (POTASH) is an acquired condition characterized by swelling of the hands, thumbs, and fingers following either walking, hiking, or running; no other body sites are swollen. The asymptomatic hand swelling begins in adulthood and recurs after adequate ambulation. A distinctive feature of POTASH that is often present is a positive fist sign demonstrated by the inability of the affected person to clench their fingers into the palm and form a fist. POTASH usually resolves spontaneously within a few hours after stopping ambulation; however, less frequently, it can persist for one or two days...

The Autobiographical Interview, a method for evaluating detailed memory of real-world events, reliably detects differences in episodic specificity at retrieval between young and older adults in the laboratory. Whether this age-associated reduction in episodic specificity for autobiographical event retrieval is present outside of the laboratory remains poorly understood. We used a videoconference format to administer the Autobiographical Interview to cognitively unimpaired older adults (N = 49, M = 69...

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) requires novel therapeutic approaches due to limited efficacy of current treatments. AREAS COVERED: This article explores AD as a manifestation of neurocircuit dysfunction and evaluates deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a potential intervention. Focusing on fornix-targeted stimulation (DBS-f), the article summarizes safety, feasibility, and outcomes observed in phase 1/2 trials, highlighting findings such as cognitive improvement, increased metabolism, and hippocampal growth...

The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) is a key hub of the default mode network underlying autobiographical memory retrieval, which falters early in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recently performed RNA sequencing of post-mortem PCC tissue samples from 26 elderly Rush Religious Orders Study participants who came to autopsy with an ante-mortem diagnosis of no cognitive impairment but who collectively displayed a range of Braak I-IV neurofibrillary tangle stages. Notably, cognitively unimpaired subjects displaying high Braak stages may represent cognitive resilience to AD pathology...

We live in uncertain times and how this pervasive sense of uncertainty affects our ability to think about the future remains largely unexplored. This study aims to investigate the effects of uncertainty salience on episodic future thinking-the ability to mentally represent specific future events. Experiment 1 assessed the impact of uncertainty on the accessibility of episodic future thoughts using an event fluency task. Participants were randomly assigned to either an uncertainty induction or control condition, and then were asked to imagine as many future events as possible that could happen in different time periods...

INTRODUCTION: Believing comprises multifaceted processes that integrate information from the outside world through meaning-making processes with personal relevance. METHODS: Qualitative Review of the current literature in social cognitive neuroscience. RESULTS: Although believing develops rapidly outside an individual's conscious awareness, it results in the formation of beliefs that are stored in memory and play an important role in determining an individual's behavior...

BACKGROUND: Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) show overgeneralization of memory (OGM) when generating autobiographical episodes related to food and body shape. These memories are central for the construction of a coherent self-concept, interpersonal relationships, and problem-solving abilities. The current study aims to investigate changes in autobiographical memory following weight gain. METHODS: OGM was assessed with an adapted version of the Autobiographical Memory Test including food-, body-, depression-related, and neutral cues...

This article presents a psychobiography study of the famous Greek photographer Ellie Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari ( Nelly's ) (1899-1998). Nelly's was born in Aidini (Asia Minor), and in her early years she experienced the tragic events of the Greek-Turkish War (1919-1923). She studied photography in Dresden (Germany), and worked in Athens (Greece) and New York (U.S.A.). A narrative and cultural psychology framework was adopted to explore the way that Nelly's constructed her life story. An adjusted version of the 'Life-Story Interview' (McAdams & Bowman, 2001) was used that distinguishes between redemption versus contamination narratives...

Remembering life experiences involves recalling not only what occurred (episodic details), but also where an event took place (spatial context), both of which decline with age. Although spatial context can cue episodic detail recollection, it is unknown whether initially recalling an event alongside greater reinstatement of spatial context protects memory for episodic details in the long term, and whether this is affected by age. Here, we analysed 1079 personally-experienced, real-world events from 29 older adults and 12 younger adults...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The growing interest in the impact of lifetime occupational exposures on later-life health underscores the need to expand and evaluate the quality of data resources. The present study took advantage of a retrospective life history survey fielded within the context of the Health and Retirement Study to assess the accuracy of retrospectively obtained information on job history. We evaluated hypotheses related to job history and respondent characteristics to understand more about factors associated with recall accuracy...

The vividness of imagery varies between individuals. However, the existence of people in whom conscious, wakeful imagery is markedly reduced, or absent entirely, was neglected by psychology until the recent coinage of 'aphantasia' to describe this phenomenon. 'Hyperphantasia' denotes the converse - imagery whose vividness rivals perceptual experience. Around 1% and 3% of the population experience extreme aphantasia and hyperphantasia, respectively. Aphantasia runs in families, often affects imagery across several sense modalities, and is variably associated with reduced autobiographical memory, face recognition difficulty, and autism...

The retrieval mechanisms associated with the recall of autobiographical memories (AMs) may differ according to the cueing method used to elicit AMs. In the present study, we provide a systematic comparison between word-cued and important AMs in terms of two recall order effects, namely a temporal and an emotional order effect. The sample comprised 104 adults aged between 59 and 90 years. On two measurement occasions, participants recalled up to 20 word-cued and 15 important AMs. For each memory, participants provided their age at the time when the event occurred (age-at-event) and rated its emotionality...