Liu Guanyu, McNally Richard J
Harvard University, Department of Psychology, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Harvard University, Department of Psychology, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2017 Mar;54:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2016.05.001. Epub 2016 May 3.
Consolidated memories become labile upon reactivation and as a result have to go through reconsolidation to become re-stabilized. This property of memory may potentially be used to reduce the impact of highly negative episodic memories. Because detailed and vivid negative memories are mediated by high arousal, if arousal is lessened during reconsolidation, memory accuracy and vividness should diminish. In this study, we examined this hypothesis.
Participants (N = 72) viewed a stressful, suspenseful video on Day 1 to develop negative episodic memories. Then, 24-29 h later, they saw a brief reminder of the stressful video (or not), and then viewed a neutral, calming (or positive) video. Another 24-29 h later, participants were tested on the accuracy, vividness, and anxiety associated with their memory of the stressful video on Day 1.
Participants who watched the reminder and then the neutral video showed reduced memory accuracy compared to participants in the other groups. Despite the reduction in memory accuracy, their memory vividness and anxiety associated with the stressful video did not decrease.
The use of undergraduates prevents generalizations to clinical populations. Also, the study did not test long-term memories that were more than 2 days old.
Neutral mood induction during reconsolidation reduces the accuracy of highly negative episodic memories.
巩固后的记忆在重新激活时会变得不稳定，因此必须经过重新巩固才能再次稳定下来。记忆的这一特性可能被用于减轻高度负面的情景记忆的影响。由于详细而生动的负面记忆是由高唤醒介导的，如果在重新巩固过程中降低唤醒水平，记忆的准确性和生动性应该会降低。在本研究中，我们检验了这一假设。
参与者（N = 72）在第1天观看一段紧张、悬疑的视频以形成负面情景记忆。然后，在24 - 29小时后，他们观看（或不观看）这段紧张视频的简短提醒，接着观看一段中性、平静（或积极）的视频。又过了24 - 29小时，对参与者关于第1天紧张视频记忆的准确性、生动性和焦虑程度进行测试。
与其他组的参与者相比，观看提醒视频后再观看中性视频的参与者记忆准确性降低。尽管记忆准确性降低了，但他们与紧张视频相关的记忆生动性和焦虑程度并未降低。
使用大学生样本限制了研究结果向临床人群的推广。此外，该研究未测试超过两天的长期记忆。
重新巩固过程中诱发中性情绪会降低高度负面情景记忆的准确性。
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