Back
Intrusive memories of trauma: A target for research bridging cognitive science and its clinical application.
Journal article

Intrusive memories of trauma: A target for research bridging cognitive science and its clinical application.

  • Iyadurai L University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: lalitha.iyadurai@psych.ox.ac.uk.
  • Visser RM MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Lau-Zhu A MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK; Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, London, UK.
  • Porcheret K University of Oxford, Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford, UK.
  • Horsch A Lausanne University Hospital, Woman-Mother-Child Department, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • Holmes EA Karolinska Institutet, Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • James EL MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK.
Show more…
  • 2018-10-09
Published in:
  • Clinical psychology review. - 2019
Cognitive science
Intrusive memory
Mental imagery
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Psychological trauma
Treatment innovation
Cognitive Science
Humans
Memory, Episodic
Mental Recall
Psychological Trauma
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
English Intrusive memories of a traumatic event can be distressing and disruptive, and comprise a core clinical feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Intrusive memories involve mental imagery-based impressions that intrude into mind involuntarily, and are emotional. Here we consider how recent advances in cognitive science have fueled our understanding of the development and possible treatment of intrusive memories of trauma. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, selecting articles published from 2008 to 2018 that used the terms "trauma" AND ("intrusive memories" OR "involuntary memories") in their abstract or title. First, we discuss studies that investigated internal (neural, hormonal, psychophysiological, and cognitive) processes that contribute to intrusive memory development. Second, we discuss studies that targeted these processes using behavioural/pharmacological interventions to reduce intrusive memories. Third, we consider possible clinical implications of this work and highlight some emerging research avenues for treatment and prevention, supplemented by new data to examine some unanswered questions. In conclusion, we raise the possibility that intrusive memories comprise an alternative, possibly more focused, target in translational research endeavours, rather than only targeting overall symptoms of disorders such as PTSD. If so, relatively simple approaches could help to address the need for easy-to-deliver, widely-scalable trauma interventions.
Language
  • English
Open access status
hybrid
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/68489
Statistics
Document views: 24 File downloads: