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A Neuroscientific Approach to the Examination of Concussions in Student-Athletes
Published on: December 8, 2014
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Memory for forgetting in adults with persistent symptoms following concussion.
Mathilde Rioux1, Victoria Wardell1, Daniela J Palombo1
1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology
|May 10, 2022
Summary
Persistent memory complaints after concussion are not linked to objective memory impairment. Individuals with these issues recall forgetting events with more negative emotion but not with heightened detail, supporting a diagnosis of Functional Cognitive Disorder (FCD).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Persistent memory complaints after concussion often lack objective evidence of memory impairment.
- This presentation may align with Functional Cognitive Disorder (FCD), where memory for forgetting events could be paradoxically enhanced.
- Prior evidence suggests emotional arousal and detailed recall of lapses in FCD patients compared to those with neurodegenerative disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the characteristics of autobiographical recall for forgetting events in individuals with subjective memory problems post-concussion.
- To determine if memory for forgetting events is selectively heightened in this population.
- To explore the relationship between memory complaint severity and the phenomenological details of recalling memory lapses.
Main Methods:
- Adults (N=37) with chronic post-concussion symptoms and normal neuropsychological test performance participated.
- Participants completed a memory complaint severity measure and the Autobiographical Interview (AI).
- The AI quantified narrative recollections of forgetting events versus control personal events, assessing details, valence, arousal, and rehearsal.
Main Results:
- No association was found between memory complaint severity and the recall of forgetting versus control events.
- Memory complaint severity did not correlate with overall Autobiographical Interview performance.
- Individuals with higher memory complaints recalled past memory lapses as more negative, but other phenomenological variables did not consistently differ.
Conclusions:
- Autobiographical recall of memory lapses is preserved but not selectively heightened in individuals reporting persistent memory problems after concussion.
- The findings suggest that persistent memory complaints following concussion, despite intact objective memory, are consistent with Functional Cognitive Disorder (FCD).
- Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying subjective memory complaints in the post-concussion syndrome.
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