Implicit memory bias for threat in posttraumatic stress disorder

Amir, Nader; McNally, Richard J.; Wiegartz, Pamela S.

doi:10.1007/bf02227965

Cited by 98 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Although the results were signi¢cant only at one noise level, Amir et al (1996) found that panic patients exhibited enhanced priming for threat sentences than for neutral sentences, whereas control subjects exhibited the opposite pattern. Very similar results occurred in a study on Vietnam combat veterans with and without PTSD (Amir et al 1996b).…”

Section: E Mot Ion -C Ong Ru E N T M E Mory Bi a Ssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…For example, psychopathologists have adapted the`white noise' paradigm (Jacoby et al 1988) to test for emotion-congruent implicit memory biases in panic disorder (Amir et al 1996a) and PTSD (Amir et al 1996b). In the ¢rst study, panic patients and healthy control subjects heard threat (e.g.`The anxious woman panicked in the supermarket') and neutral (e.g.`The shiny apple sat on the table') sentences.…”

Section: E Mot Ion -C Ong Ru E N T M E Mory Bi a Smentioning

confidence: 99%

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Memory and anxiety disorders

McNally

1995

Journal of the Neurological Sciences

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Section: E Mot Ion -C Ong Ru E N T M E Mory Bi a Ssupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: E Mot Ion -C Ong Ru E N T M E Mory Bi a Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Memory and anxiety disorders

McNally

1995

Journal of the Neurological Sciences

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“…Vietnam veterans with PTSD exhibited an enhancement of implicit memory (i.e. recall following priming by words stems) for combat words, relative to neutral words in comparison subjects (Zeitlin and McNally, 1991;Amir et al, 1996). Furthermore, in emotional Stroop-tasks, where participants have to name the color of words that are presented to them, patients with PTSD take significantly longer to name the color of trauma-related words (i.e.…”

Section: Automatic Processing Of Trauma-related Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are the neural substrates of memory the final common pathway in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Elzinga

Bremner

2002

Journal of Affective Disorders

423

277

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A model for the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a disorder of memory is presented drawing both on psychological and neurobiological data. Evidence on intrusive memories and deficits in declarative memory function in PTSD-patients is reviewed in relation to three brain areas that are involved in memory functioning and the stress response: the hippocampus, amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex. Neurobiological studies have shown that the noradrenergic stress-system is involved in enhanced encoding of emotional memories, sensitization, and fear conditioning, by way of its effects on the amygdala. Chronic stress also affects the hippocampus, a brain area involved in declarative memories, suggesting that hippocampal dysfunction may partly account for the deficits in declarative memory in PTSD-patients. Deficits in the medial prefrontal cortex, a structure that normally inhibits the amygdala, may further enhance the effects of the amygdala, thereby increasing the frequency and intensity of the traumatic memories. Thus, by way of its influence on these brain structures, exposure to severe stress may simultaneously result in strong emotional reactions and in difficulties to recall the emotional event. This model is also relevant for understanding the distinction between declarative and non-declarative memoryfunctions in processing trauma-related information in PTSD. Implications of our model are reviewed.

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“…Women with a history of CSA often display unusually high levels of attention for trauma or threat-related information (Amir, McNally, & Wiegartz, 1996), and show memory impairments that are not attributable to nontrauma factors, such as IQ or education levels (Bremner et al, 1995;Gray & Lombardo, 2001). Sexually abused women who develop posttraumatic stress disorder allocate more cognitive resources toward threatening stimuli than non-threatening stimuli (e.g., Foa, Feske, Murdock, & Kozak, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on research indicating that sexually abused women tend to link negative affect to sexual stimuli , we hypothesized that sexually relevant texts written by sexually abused women would show a higher frequency of negative emotions and a lower frequency of positive emotions as compared to texts written by women with no history of abuse. Additionally, based on studies that found an over-preoccupation with trauma-related behaviors (e.g., Amir et al, 1996), and based on Herman's (1992) model on trauma and recovery, the sexual desire function of sexually abused women was expected to be linked to a higher frequency of sexual and body words used when writing sexually relevant texts. An additional aim of this study was to establish whether the language utilized in sexually-relevant texts was linked to levels of function in sexual desire.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Desire and Linguistic Analysis: A Comparison of Sexually-Abused and Non-Abused Women

Rellini

Meston

2006

Arch Sex Behav

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Although studies have identified a relationship between a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) and problems with hypoactive sexual desire, little is known about the potential cognitive and affective mechanisms involved in the sexual desire of women with a history of CSA. In this study, 27 women with a history of CSA and 22 women with no history of abuse were asked to write about sexual and non sexual topics. The Linguistic Inquiry Word Count software program was used to compute the percentage of words that fell into positive emotions, negative emotions, body, and sex categories. As expected, women with a history of CSA used more negative emotions words when writing about sexual topics, but not non-sexual topics, compared to non-abused women. Women with a history of CSA also used more sex words when writing about the non-sexual topics compared to non-abused women. Frequencies of body and sex words used in the sexual texts were positively linked to levels of sexual desire function. This association was not different between women with and without a history of CSA. A history of CSA remained an independent predictor of levels of sexual desire dysfunction even when taking into consideration the language used in the sexual texts, indicating that there may be aspects of the sexual desire experienced by women with a history of CSA that differ from non-abused women that remain unexplored.

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Implicit memory bias for threat in posttraumatic stress disorder

Cited by 98 publications

References 9 publications

Memory and anxiety disorders

Memory and anxiety disorders

Are the neural substrates of memory the final common pathway in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Sexual Desire and Linguistic Analysis: A Comparison of Sexually-Abused and Non-Abused Women

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