Memory as a new therapeutic target.
This review aims to demonstrate how an understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in memory provides a basis for; (i) reconceptualizing some mental disorders; (ii) refining existing therapeutic tools; and (iii) designing new ones for targeting processes that maintain these disorders. First, some of the stages which a memory undergoes are defined, and the clinical relevance of an understanding of memory processing by the brain is discussed. This is followed by a brief review of some of the clinical studies that have targeted memory processes. Finally, some new insights provided by the field of neuroscience with implications for conceptualizing mental disorders are presented.
Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Karim
K
Nader
Chancellor's Fellow, Centre for Cognitive & Neural Systems, The University of Edinburgh, UK.
Oliver
O
Hardt
Department of Psychiatry, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Ruth
R
Lanius
D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*
forgetting; memory; psychotherapy; reconsolidation