Farewell flashbacks · Developing science-driven therapies after trauma: Neural mechanisms underlying the modification of intrusive emotional memories

Developing science-driven therapies after trauma: Neural mechanisms underlying the modification of intrusive emotional memories

Unfortunately, most people will experience a traumatic event (e.g., a serious car crash or mugging) during their lives. In a subset of individuals, psychological trauma will lead to the development of a mental disorder such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of the hallmark symptoms of PTSD and acute stress disorder involves ‘recurrent, involuntary and intrusive memories of the traumatic event’. These intrusive memories (in their most extreme form referred to as ‘flashbacks’) are hypothesized to stem from maladaptive memory processes: the memory of the event is easily triggered, without conscious effort. This results in mental images ‘springing’ to one’s mind unbidden, often causing considerable distress. A line of experimental research spearheaded by Professor Emily Holmes (the project’s supervisor) suggests that the number of intrusive images that people experience after a stressful event can be reduced by a reminder cue plus distracting computer game play (e.g., Tetris) during or shortly after the event (Figure 1). The mechanisms underlying these so-called ‘competing tasks’ effects are not well understood. The overarching aim of the project was to investigate procedures to ameliorate intrusive memories of psychological trauma by bringing novel insights from basic neuroscience to the field of mental health. For this we used a multidisciplinary research approach combining state-of-the-art neuroimaging with an experimental analogue for trauma. More specifically, we asked the following questions. 1) What is the neural profile of emotional memory formation and reactivation (using traumatic film clips) and how does that profile relate to subsequent voluntary versus involuntary (intrusive) memory? 2) How can we use competing task methodology shortly after a distressing event to weaken intrusive emotional memory? We were able to look at how much the brain replayed the film clips in the rest immediately after seeing them, and to assess how this replay related to subsequent memory, both deliberately recalled memory and involuntary (intrusive) memories. This allowed us to challenge assumptions of basic models of memory (see https://www.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0209). We also made initial steps in terms of how we can use competing task methodology in the real world.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз