Relations between emotion and conscious recollection of true and false autobiographical memories: an investigation using lorazepam as a pharmacological tool.
BACKGROUND
Conscious recollection for autobiographical memory is the subjective experience of reliving a personal event mentally. Its frequency is strongly influenced by the emotion experienced at the time of the event.


OBJECTIVE
We addressed the issue of whether conscious recollection for autobiographical memories is also influenced by the emotion experienced at the time of retrieval. We used lorazepam, a benzodiazepine, as a pharmacological tool to modulate this emotional experience.


METHODS
Autobiographical memories were recorded in eight healthy volunteers using a diary study methodology. Each day, four entries were made by each subject: two true events, one altered event and one false event. For each event, the subjects were asked to rate emotional variables at encoding and at retrieval. Two months later, there were two sessions of recognition tests during which the subjects received orally an acute administration of either lorazepam (0.038 mg/kg) or placebo using a cross-over design. Subjective states of awareness were assessed using the Remember/Know/Guess procedure.


RESULTS
Compared to placebo, lorazepam increased levels of conscious recollection, as assessed by Remember responses, for both true and false memories and induced an overestimation of the personal significance and emotional intensity of past events. Structural equation modelling showed that this overestimation was causal in the increased frequency of conscious recollection.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results provide experimental evidence that the frequency of conscious recollection for both true and false autobiographical memories is influenced by the emotion experienced at the time of retrieval.
INSERM Unité 405 Psychopathologie et Pharmacologie de la Cognition, Clinique Psychiatrique, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, 1 place de l'Hôpital, BP 426, 67091, Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Elodie
E
Pernot-Marino
Jean-Marie
JM
Danion
Guy
G
Hedelin
D000328:Adult; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000187:drug effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012094:Repression, Psychology
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D008140:Lorazepam