Self-reported sensibility to bodily signals predicts individual differences in autobiographical memory: an exploratory study.

Recent theoretical perspectives have advanced that autobiographical memory processes are supported by interoception, the perception of internal bodily sensations. Yet, this relationship remains largely underexplored. The present study addressed this critical gap in the literature by systematically investigating the association between self-reported Interoceptive Sensibility and various individual differences measures of autobiographical memory. In Study 1, using a correlational approach in a large sample of participants (N = 247), we identified significant correlations between standardised measures of interoception and the general experience of autobiographical memory and the frequency of involuntary mental time travel. These associations remained significant even after controlling for potential confounding factors in terms of age, gender, and trait affectivity, underscoring their robustness. Study 2 replicated and extended the associations identified in Study 1 in another large participant sample (N = 257), further validating them by accounting for the potential confounding effect of well-being. Our findings demonstrate that individuals' ability to perceive and understand bodily signals robustly relates to how they experience autobiographical memories. By adopting an exploratory approach based on individual differences, our results provide novel and concrete insights into the association between interoception and autobiographical memory, providing a strong foundation for future investigations into the causal mechanisms connecting these two constructs.

Feasibility of the Remembering Warmth and Safeness Intervention in older ADRD caregivers.

BACKGROUND: The number of older adults in the U.S. living with ADRD is projected to increase dramatically by 2060. As older adults increasingly assume informal caregiving responsibilities, community-based intervention to sustain caregiver well-being is a dementia research priority. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of the RWSI among older ADRD caregivers. The RWSI is informed by the Neurovisceral Integration Model, in which memories that engage safety signals cultivate feelings of safety and well-being. METHODS: A within-subjects pre/post-intervention design with older ADRD caregivers to evaluate feasibility (acceptability, demand, fidelity) and empirical promise (well-being). RESULTS: The feasibility of the RWSI, implemented with fidelity, was strongly endorsed, as participants attended each intervention session, after which reported experiencing feelings of warmth and safeness, and provided the highest possible acceptability ratings. Participant narratives provided corroboration. DISCUSSION: Findings support the feasibility of the RWSI in older ADRD caregivers, providing the basis for continued research.

Remembering the good and bad and the self and others in a culturally modulated self-memory system.

Wang and Conway (2006, Autobiographical memory, self, and culture. In L.-G. Nilsson, & N. Ohta (Eds.), Memory and society: Psychological perspectives (pp. 9-27). Psychology Press) posit that remembering takes place in a culturally modulated self-memory system in which working self-goals are shaped by society and, in turn, influence the encoding and construction of memories in a culturally canonical fashion. The current research examined the self-goal of competence, which manifests through self-enhancement versus self-improvement motivations, in influencing remembering in different cultural contexts. We conducted two cross-cultural studies to examine memories for personal successes and failures (Study 1) and autobiographical and vicarious experiences (Study 2) in connection with individuals' positive self-views. European Americans recalled a greater number of success than failure memories (Study 1) and US participants recalled a greater number of autobiographical than vicarious memories (Study 2), which was further associated with positive self-views at the individual level. In contrast, Asian (Study 1) and Chinese participants (Study 2) recalled even-handedly the different types of memories, and the memory retrieval was unrelated to individuals' self-views. We discuss the findings in light of the different manifestations of the competence goal in shaping memory in the culturally modulated self-memory system.

Emphatic Memories and Their Meaning in Societal and Legal Contexts: A Narrative Review and Position Paper.

BACKGROUND: Many past and ongoing conflicts in the world are associated with memories. The role of emphatic memories is however often neglected in conflict solving. Therefore, this narrative review gives a short introduction to the phenomenon of emphatic memories and implications for counteracting dysfunctional effects of emphatic memories. SUMMARY: Memory has two connotations. One is remembering and knowing (I can remember when I got married) and on the other is reminding and emphasizing memories (I remind my partner of our wedding day). Memories are less a report on the past but result of current emotions and motives. Emphatic memories serve for self-portrayal and distinction from others, self-exculpation, accusation of others, justification of claims. They are regularly reproachful, have an aggressive character, and are distorted and pseudologic. This is also true on a societal level, as memories are used for defining social groups, and by this for political purposes, in order to juxtapose one group against the other. If memories are revoked, they are regularly accompanied with the very emotions, which were associated with the past event. Corresponding behavior is motivated. Many people suffer from memories and associated emotions and dysfunctional behavior, as is well described in the context of post-traumatic stress disorders. Also, social groups can as a whole suffer from negative emotions because of memories, which may go back up to thousand years. To ensure that memories do not adversely affect individuals and social groups, they should best be forgotten, or at least rescripted, in a way that they are disentangled from negative emotions and motives. An important psychological process in this regard is wisdom and forgiveness, which must not be confused with understanding, justification, tolerating, or reconciliation. Wisdom and forgiveness allow persons to close the books, act self-determined, find freedom from external events, and end suffering because of the past. It is a rational and emotional act. KEY MESSAGES: Emphatic memories can cause that individuals and groups do not find peace and persistently provoke new conflicts. Internal and interactional peace can be found if memories are let alone and fade away. Forgiveness and wisdom describe avenues to let dysfunctional memories go.

Tackling addictive behaviors through memory suppression: A scoping review and perspective.

Forgetting is often viewed as a human frailty. However, over the years, it has been considered an adaptive process that allows people to avoid retrieval of undesirable memories, preventing them from suffering and discomfort. Evidence shows that the ability to suppress memories is affected by several psychopathological conditions characterized by persistent unwanted thoughts, including anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorders. Nevertheless, memory suppression (MS) mechanisms in addiction-a clinical condition characterized by recurrent drug-related thoughts that contribute to repeated drug use-have received little attention so far. Addiction theories reveal that drugs change behavior by working on memory systems, particularly on declarative memory, which is related to the retrieval and encoding of drug-related memories. In this review, the main behavioral and neurofunctional findings concerning the Think/No-Think task-an adaptation of the classical Go/No-Go tasks typically used to evaluate the suppression of motor response-are presented. We then show how the memory system can be involved in the craving or anticipation/preoccupation stage of the addiction cycle. Subsequently, the study of MS in the context of addictive behaviors is highlighted as a promising approach for gaining knowledge about the mechanisms contributing to the continuation of addiction. Finally, we discuss how interventions aiming to strengthen this ability could impact the anticipation/preoccupation stage by (i) reducing the accessibility of drug-related memories, (ii) decreasing craving and attention toward drug-related stimuli, and (iii) improving overall inhibition abilities. In conclusion, this review aims to illustrate how the study of MS may be a valuable approach to enhance our understanding of substance use disorders by unveiling the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms involved, which could have important implications for addiction treatment.

Trying to forget alcohol: Brain mechanisms underlying memory suppression in young binge drinkers.

People are able to voluntarily suppress unwanted thoughts or memories, a phenomenon known as suppression-induced forgetting or memory suppression. Despite harmful alcohol use, such as binge drinking, has been linked to impaired inhibitory control (IC) and augmented alcohol-cue reactivity, no study to date has assessed memory inhibition abilities towards alcohol-related cues in binge drinkers (BDs). Thus, the present preregistered study aimed to evaluate the behavioral and neurofunctional mechanisms associated with memory inhibition, specifically those related to the suppression of alcohol-related memories, in young BDs. For this purpose, electroencephalographic activity was recorded in eighty-two college students aged between 18 and 24 years old from the University of Minho (50% females; 40 non/low-drinkers [N/LDS] and 42 BDs) while they performed the Think/No-Think Alcohol task. Brain functional connectivity (FC) was calculated using the phase locking value and, subsequently, a dynamic seed-based analysis was conducted to explore the FC patterns between IC and memory networks. Comparatively to N/LDs, BDs exhibited decreased alpha-band FC between the anterior cingulate cortex and the left fusiform gyrus during attempts to suppress non-alcohol memories, accompanied by unsuccessful forgetting of those memories. Conversely, BDs displayed augmented gamma-band FC between the IC network and memory regions -i.e., hippocampus, parahippocampus and fusiform gyrus- during suppression of alcohol-related memories. Inhibitory abnormalities in BDs may lead to hypoconnectivity between IC and memory networks and deficient suppression of non-alcohol-related memories. However, while suppressing highly salient and reward-predicting stimuli, such as alcohol-related memories, BDs display a hyperconnectivity pattern between IC and memory networks, likely due to their augmented attention towards intrusive alcoholic memories and the attempts to compensate for potential underlying IC deficits. These findings hold important implications for alcohol research and treatment, as they open up new avenues for reducing alcohol use by shifting the focus to empowering suppression/control over alcohol-related memories. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: [http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT05237414].

Local knowledge as the basis of disaster management and humanitarian assistance.

Recent policy discourse on the localisation of disaster management and humanitarian assistance lacks attention to the culture, history, and traditions of the Global South. This special issue of Disasters argues that it is imperative to recognise the dynamic, interactive, contested, and negotiated nature of local knowledge. Such local knowledge saves lives by enabling responders to situate ad hoc, one-off events such as disasters in the broader and deeper context of community relationships, thereby providing more appropriate and more effective aid. Through the cases of China, Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, this special issue examines such dynamic local knowledge using an analytical framework consisting of three manifestations of local knowledge, namely: social capital; contextual historical memories; and adaptation to new ideas. These three manifestations show the ways in which local knowledge creates local capacity, via which local, national, and international disaster respondents can centre their response coordination, and in turn, demonstrate how local capacity reformulates local knowledge.

Are expectations of labour and birth fulfilled? A qualitative investigation of first-time parents.

AIM: To describe if first-time parents' expectations of labour and birth, explored during the third trimester of pregnancy, were fulfilled or not when investigated 1 year following birth. DESIGN: Qualitative Husserlian phenomenological approach. METHODS: The sample comprises 10 parents (five couples), who participated in an online semi-structured audio-recorded individual interview conducted 1 year after birth, between September 2020 and October 2020. Parents' expectations of labour and birth, described throughout a focus group discussion on pregnancy, were compared with their experience explored 1 year after birth. A thematic analysis was adopted and member checking was used to validate participants' thoughts. RESULTS: Participants gave birth in a II level maternity unit and one-to-one midwifery care was provided. Although during the focus group conducted in pregnancy, women reported being aware of the unpredictable nature of childbirth, they expressed sadness and failure after experiencing some unexpected interventions. The midwife was a reassuring guide, as expected; however, sometimes, the communication was not effective, and women perceived lack of support. Some women partly blame themselves for not being prepared to manage labour pain, which hurt more than expected. Feeling of uncertainty about events were experienced in relation to seeking care at an early stage of labour, which confirmed the fears expressed during pregnancy. During the antenatal focus group discussion, fathers doubted they could be helpful for the labouring women. This negative emotion was confirmed after birth. However, they understood the importance to be present and to support their partner. CONCLUSIONS: One year after birth, participants had consistent memories of their birth experience. Professionals might identify fundamental components of quality maternity care that are meaningful for parents, with the potential to generate a long-term positive health impact on them. Respectful maternity care should be ensured through a family-centred approach, with the aim to promote satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: The study highlights the importance of taking parents' expectations into account when providing antenatal care to tailor individualized support that addresses their distinct needs and preferences. Healthcare professionals might consider initiating a post-natal discussion with parents to assess whether their needs and perspectives have been addressed. This perspective may present valuable insights to achieve long-term positive outcomes, provide high-quality maternity care, address issues and make improvements. IMPACT: The study showed that 1 year after birth, parents can accurately recall their birth. They might also give significant insights into fundamental components of care that they value as crucial to shape a positive birthing experience. Professionals should use this information to build solutions, promoting long-term well-being for parents. Respectful interactions and trusting relationships emerged as key elements in parents' experience. A midwifery care focused on parents' needs may contribute to the achievement of positive birth memories. REPORTING METHOD: This study used the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

How do early affiliative memories explain body image shame? A 12-month longitudinal study in adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explain adolescent girls' body image shame across a 12- month longitudinal design, and its relationship with early parental memories of warmth and safeness and fear of receiving compassion from others. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants included 231 adolescent girls, who completed self-report measures at three different periods: baseline (W1), 6-month follow-up (W2), and 12-month follow-up (W3). Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed, and differences between participants at the different waves were explored through repeated measures ANOVA. A cross-lagged panel model tested the mediational effect of fears of receiving compassion on the association between early affiliative memories (W1) and body image shame (W3). RESULTS: ANOVA results found significant differences throughout time in memories of warmth and safeness (tending to diminish) and in body image shame (tending to rise). Correlation analysis revealed that all variables were significantly associated in the expected directions, across the three waves. Finally, path analysis revealed that early affiliative parental memories (in W1) had a direct effect on body image shame (in W3), through the fear of receiving compassion from others (in W2), accounting for 85% of body image shame's variance (W3). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the lack of early affiliative memories often leads to the development of defensive mechanisms such as fears of receiving compassion from others which in turn can foster isolation and distant relationships, enhancing feelings of inferiority and inadequacy, which in female adolescents can emerge centered on body image - body image shame. This study further highlights the importance of prevention and intervention strategies based on compassion to specifically target fears of receiving compassion from others, in adolescent girls dealing with feelings of inferiority and shame regarding their body.

False memories in forensic psychology: do cognition and brain activity tell the same story?

One of the most important problems in forensic psychology is the impossibility of reliably discriminating between true and false memories when the only prosecution evidence comes from the memory of a witness or a victim. Unfortunately, both children and adults can be persuaded that they have been victims of past criminal acts, usually of a sexual nature. In adults, suggestion often occurs in the context of suggestive therapies based on the belief that traumatic events are repressed, while children come to believe and report events that never occurred as a result of repeated suggestive questioning. Cognitive Researchers have designed false memory paradigms (i.e., misinformation effect, Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm, event implantation paradigm) to first form false memories and then determine whether it is possible to reliably differentiate between false and true memories. In the present study, we review the contribution of cognitive research to the formation of false memories and the neuropsychological approaches aimed to discriminate between true and false memories. Based on these results, we analyze the applicability of the cognitive and neuropsychological evidence to the forensic setting.

Adult-born granule cells modulate CA2 network activity during retrieval of developmental memories of the mother.

Adult-born granule cells (abGCs) project to the CA2 region of the hippocampus, but it remains unknown how this circuit affects behavioral function. Here, we show that abGC input to the CA2 of adult mice is involved in the retrieval of remote developmental memories of the mother. Ablation of abGCs impaired the ability to discriminate between a caregiving mother and a novel mother, and this ability returned after abGCs were regenerated. Chemogenetic inhibition of projections from abGCs to the CA2 also temporarily prevented the retrieval of remote mother memories. These findings were observed when abGCs were inhibited at 4-6 weeks old, but not when they were inhibited at 10-12 weeks old. We also found that abGCs are necessary for differentiating features of CA2 network activity, including theta-gamma coupling and sharp wave ripples, in response to novel versus familiar social stimuli. Taken together, these findings suggest that abGCs are necessary for neuronal oscillations associated with discriminating between social stimuli, thus enabling retrieval of remote developmental memories of the mother by their adult offspring.

Autobiographical phenomenology of memories of fiction.

Most autobiographical memories are based on real-life experiences, but memories of fiction have many similarities to real-life autobiographical memories. However, the phenomenological nature of this similarity, the potential differences between media types, and the role of individual differences need further investigation. Based on previous findings, we expected differences between media types on emotional intensity, sensory vividness, and confidence about the recall. To provide insight into these issues, we collected one real-life autobiographical memory and one memory of fiction (book, film, or video game) from 291 participants. We asked them to rate their memories phenomenologically. The participants also provided information regarding their motivations for engaging with fictional stories. Our results show phenomenological differences in several dimensions between media types and differences in the similarity of media types to real-life memories. While absorption seems to be a good predictor for immersion, escapism tendency is a motivation to engage with fiction frequently.

Do childhood experiences influence associations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and positive autobiographical memories among military veteran students? An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence links posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and features of positive autobiographical memories (accessibility, vividness, coherence, sharing, emotional intensity, distancing). There is a knowledge gap on how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) may influence these relationships. OBJECTIVES: The current study explored whether the number ACEs or BCEs moderated associations between PTSD symptom severity and features of positive autobiographical memories. DESIGN AND METHODS: The sample included 124 student military veterans who had experienced a trauma (Mage = 33.90; 77.4% male; 75.0% White). RESULTS: Path analyses showed more PTSD symptom severity was significantly associated with less positive autobiographical memory vividness (ß = -0.26, p = .019, R2 = 0.06). Further, the number of ACEs moderated the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and positive autobiographical memory accessibility (ß = -0.25, p = .023, R2 = 0.10) and vividness (ß = -0.20, p = .024, R2 = 0.10). Among individuals with more ACEs (1 SD above the mean) compared to those with fewer ACEs (1 SD below the mean), less accessibility and vividness of positive autobiographical memories was associated with greater PTSD symptom severity. The number of BCEs was not a significant moderator. CONCLUSIONS: Positive memory-based interventions may be particularly useful to address PTSD symptoms among military veterans with a history of childhood adversity.

'Nip it in the bud': Low-frequency rTMS of the prefrontal cortex disrupts threat memory consolidation in humans.

It is still unclear how the human brain consolidates aversive (e.g., traumatic) memories and whether this process can be disrupted. We hypothesized that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is crucially involved in threat memory consolidation. To test this, we used low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS) within the memory stabilization time window to disrupt the expression of threat memory. We combined a differential threat-conditioning paradigm with LF-rTMS targeting the dlPFC in the critical condition, and occipital cortex stimulation, delayed dlPFC stimulation, and sham stimulation as control conditions. In the critical condition, defensive reactions to threat were reduced immediately after brain stimulation, and 1 h and 24 h later. In stark contrast, no decrease was observed in the control conditions, thus showing both the anatomical and temporal specificity of our intervention. We provide causal evidence that selectively targeting the dlPFC within the early consolidation period prevents the persistence and return of conditioned responses. Furthermore, memory disruption lasted longer than the inhibitory window created by our TMS protocol, which suggests that we influenced dlPFC neural activity and hampered the underlying, time-dependent consolidation process. These results provide important insights for future clinical applications aimed at interfering with the consolidation of aversive, threat-related memories.

Does Quantum Mechanics Require "Conspiracy"?

Quantum states containing records of incompatible outcomes of quantum measurements are valid states in the tensor-product Hilbert space. Since they contain false records, they conflict with the Born rule and with our observations. I show that excluding them requires a fine-tuning to an extremely restricted subspace of the Hilbert space that seems "conspiratorial", in the sense that (1) it seems to depend on future events that involve records (including measurement settings) and on the dynamical law (normally thought to be independent of the initial conditions), and (2) it violates Statistical Independence, even when it is valid in the context of Bell's theorem. To solve the puzzle, I build a model in which, by changing the dynamical law, the same initial conditions can lead to different histories in which the validity of records is relative to the new dynamical law. This relative validity of the records may restore causality, but the initial conditions still must depend, at least partially, on the dynamical law. While violations of Statistical Independence are often seen as non-scientific, they turn out to be needed to ensure the validity of records and our own memories and, by this, of science itself. A Past Hypothesis is needed to ensure the existence of records and turns out to require violations of Statistical Independence. It is not excluded that its explanation, still unknown, ensures such violations in the way needed by local interpretations of quantum mechanics. I suggest that an as-yet unknown law or superselection rule may restrict the full tensor-product Hilbert space to the very special subspace required by the validity of records and the Past Hypothesis.

Sex differences in hippocampal ß-adrenergic receptor subtypes drive retrieval, retention, and learning of cocaine-associated memories.

Background: Drug seeking behavior occurs in response to environmental contexts and drug-associated cues. The presence of these pervasive stimuli impedes abstinence success. ß-adrenergic receptors (ß-ARs) have a long-standing historical implication in driving processes associated with contextual memories, including drug-associated memories in substance use disorders. However, sex differences in the role of ß-adrenergic receptors in drug memories remain unknown. Hypothesis: Prior reports indicate a selective role for ß2-ARs in retrieval and retention of contextual drug memories in males, and substantial sex differences exist in the expression of ß-ARs of male and female rats. Therefore, we hypothesized that there are sex differences in selective recruitment of ß-ARs during different stages of memory encoding and retrieval. Methods: The role of ß-ARs in driving retrieval and learning of contextual cocaine memories was investigated using cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) in adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were infused directly to the dorsal hippocampus with Propranolol (ß1 and ß2) or ICI-118,551 (ß1) and/or Betaxolol (ß2), immediately prior to testing (retrieval), or paired to each cocaine (10 mg/kp, IP) conditioning session (learning). Results: In males, administration of either ß1, ß2, or combined ß1 and ß2-ARs before the initial CPP testing reduced the expression of a CPP compared to vehicle administration. In females, ß2-ARs transiently decreased CPP memories, whereas ß1 had long lasting but not immediate effects to decrease CPP memories. Additionally, ß1 and combined ß1 and ß2-ARs had immediate and persistent effects to decrease CPP memory expression. DG Fos + neurons predicted cocaine CPP expression in males, whereas CA1 and CA3 Fos + neurons predicted cocaine CPP expression in females. Conclusion: There are significant sex differences in the role of dorsal hippocampus ß-ARs in the encoding and expression of cocaine conditioned place preference. Furthermore, sub regions of the dorsal hippocampus appear to activate differently between male and female rats during CPP. Therefore DG, CA3, and CA1 may have separate region- and sex-specific impacts on driving drug- associated, or context-associated cues.

Young adults' personal and relationship memories: recollections of self, siblings, and family.

We investigated the phenomenological and narrative characteristics of young adults' self- and other-related memories within the context of significant relationships. We also examined whether participants' gender and/or gender concordance between participants and their siblings was associated with autobiographical memory characteristics. We collected data from 108 college students who had only one sibling. All participants provided narratives in response to three memory prompts (i.e., self-related, sibling-related, and family-related) and rated their memories along dimensions such as significance, emotional valence, clarity etc. The narratives were coded on thematic content, transformativeness, mentions of others, and event type dimensions. Results revealed differences between self-related memories and sibling- and family-related memories across several dimensions. However, sibling-related and family-related memories were mostly similar to each other. No statistically significant gender or gender concordance differences were observed. Further exploratory analysis showed that memory narratives describing extended events were more transformative than single event narratives. The findings enhance our understanding about the self-in-relation to others through relationship memories.