Visual false memories in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2009 Jun;40(2):374-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2009.02.003. Epub 2009 Feb 26.

Abstract

There is an ongoing debate whether or not patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are more prone to produce false memories. The present study investigated this question using a visual variant of the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, additionally addressing underlying mechanisms of false memory production (e.g., depression, dissociation, emotional valence, arousal). The visual paradigm was administered to 48 traumatized individuals with (n=20) and without PTSD (n=28) and 28 non-traumatized controls. Groups did not differ with regard to memory performance and memory confidence. False memories were correlated with depression. We recommend that future studies employ trauma-related material to further explore memory aberrations in PTSD.

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic / psychology
  • Adult
  • Arousal / physiology
  • Crime Victims / psychology
  • Depression / psychology
  • Dissociative Disorders / psychology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Memory / physiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Psychomotor Performance / physiology
  • Repression, Psychology*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*