Disease recognition is related to specific autobiographical memory deficits in alcohol-dependence

Flashbulb memories for Paris attacks in an alcohol-abstinent patient

“…These findings may mirror research suggesting that when assessing personal memories with high emotional valence, patients with alcohol-dependence may subjectively experience as many sensory and contextual details as controls [14]. Also, overgenerality bias is less observable when individuals are abstinent for a longer period (more than 6 months) than in recently detoxified patients (about 15 days) [13], which may explain why Mr. C (abstinent for two years) was able to retrieve specific memories.…”

“…A main characteristic of the compromise of autobiographical memory in alcohol-dependence is overgenerality: instead of recalling localized events in time and space, patients with alcohol-dependence tend to produce general memories (e.g., categorical summaries of repeated events or extended events in time) [11,12]. Autobiographical overgenerality in alcohol dependence have been attributed to compromise of executive dysfunction [13,14], as well as to emotional avoidance strategies that limit exposure to emotional charge that is associated with memories [15][16][17]. Autobiographical overgenerality in alcohol-dependence can be linked with compromise of the subjective reliving of memories.…”

Characterization of Self‐Defining Memories in Individuals with Severe Alcohol Use Disorders After Mid‐Term Abstinence: The Impact of the Emotional Valence of Memories

“…As described in other autobiographical models (Conway, ; Conway and Pleydell‐Pearce, ; Kopelman, ), this defect in AM specificity highlights the fact that as in other forms of addiction (Gandolphe et al., ; Nandrino et al., ), AUD patients have difficulty in accessing the specific perceptual and emotional material of AM. However, this phenomenon was not observed in AUD patients who had been abstinent for a longer period (6 months), whereas it was present in recently detoxified ones (Poncin et al., ). This change may be in part due to the improvement in executive functioning that occurs after abstinence (Poncin et al., ), given that a lack of specificity is also considered as a way of avoiding the emotional distress triggered by the reactivation of past experiences (Dalgleish et al., ).…”

“…However, this phenomenon was not observed in AUD patients who had been abstinent for a longer period (6 months), whereas it was present in recently detoxified ones (Poncin et al., ). This change may be in part due to the improvement in executive functioning that occurs after abstinence (Poncin et al., ), given that a lack of specificity is also considered as a way of avoiding the emotional distress triggered by the reactivation of past experiences (Dalgleish et al., ).…”

“…The patients also reported SDM that were more negative, with a higher emotional intensity and containing more references to alcohol than those of control participants. However, these results cannot be extended to AUD with a long duration of abstinence as AM abilities, and at least specificity, may improve after several months of abstinence (Poncin et al., ).…”