Hartzler Bryan, Fromme Kim
University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2003 Apr;27(4):628-37. doi: 10.1097/01.ALC.0000062743.37558.C8.
Fragmentary blackouts, or memory loss for intoxicated events that may be later recalled with the provision of cues, are common sequelae of heavy drinking, yet understanding of their characteristics, correlates, and consequences is limited. Consequently, this alcohol-administration study addressed questions regarding the etiology of fragmentary blackouts and their effect on alcohol outcome expectancies.
A placebo-controlled design addressed the etiology of fragmentary blackouts through assessment of memory formation before and after alcohol consumption. The effect of fragmentary blackouts on prospective beliefs about alcohol was assessed by way of a self-report outcome expectancy questionnaire and a measure of response latency for alcohol concepts presented after beverage consumption.
Although participants performed similarly on memory indices before consuming beverages, those who reported past fragmentary blackouts and consumed alcohol displayed marked difficulty with recall of a narrative when this was attempted both during intoxication and after detoxification, as well as with a source memory task presented during intoxication. Those reporting fragmentary blackouts also endorsed stronger outcome expectancies for a range of alcohol effects and exhibited greater accessibility for positive alcohol concepts presented after beverage administration. Further, source recall contributed significantly to the episodic recall both during intoxication and after detoxification, as well as to positive outcome expectancies of those receiving alcohol.
Findings suggest that fragmentary blackouts result from poor retrieval and that individual differences in retrieval emerge after alcohol is consumed. Further, one's recall of source aspects of material-its time and social context-is an important determinant of recall of stimuli and events encountered during intoxication, as well as of prospective expectations for positive alcohol effects. The collective findings expand our understanding of this complex yet common neuropsychological consequence of heavy drinking.
片段性失忆，即对醉酒事件的记忆丧失，在提供线索后可能会被回忆起来，是大量饮酒常见的后遗症，但对其特征、相关因素及后果的了解有限。因此，这项酒精给药研究探讨了关于片段性失忆的病因及其对酒精结果预期的影响的问题。
采用安慰剂对照设计，通过评估饮酒前后的记忆形成来探讨片段性失忆的病因。通过一份自我报告的结果预期问卷以及对饮酒后呈现的酒精概念的反应潜伏期测量，评估片段性失忆对酒精前瞻性信念的影响。
尽管参与者在饮用饮料前的记忆指标表现相似，但那些报告有过片段性失忆且饮酒的人，在醉酒期间和解毒后尝试回忆一段叙述时，以及在醉酒期间进行的源记忆任务中，都表现出明显的回忆困难。报告有片段性失忆的人也认可对一系列酒精效应有更强的结果预期，并且在饮用饮料后呈现的积极酒精概念方面表现出更高的易接近性。此外，源记忆在醉酒期间和解毒后对情景记忆以及对饮酒者的积极结果预期都有显著贡献。
研究结果表明，片段性失忆是由检索不佳导致的，且在饮酒后会出现个体在检索方面的差异。此外，一个人对材料来源方面（时间和社会背景）的回忆是回忆醉酒期间遇到的刺激和事件以及对酒精积极效应的前瞻性预期的重要决定因素。这些总体研究结果扩展了我们对这种大量饮酒常见但复杂的神经心理学后果的理解。
