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Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Increase the Efficiency of Memory Functioning for Trauma-Related Information

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2022

Andrei-Cristian Tudorache Open the ORCID record for Andrei-Cristian Tudorache [Opens in a new window] ,
Wissam El-Hage  and
David Clarys
Andrei-Cristian Tudorache*
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Université de Tours, Tours, Poitiers, France
Wissam El-Hage
Affiliation:
UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, CHRU Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
David Clarys
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, UMR CNRS 7295, Université de Poitiers, Université de Tours, Tours, Poitiers, France
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Andrei-Cristian Tudorache, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l’Apprentissage, 5 rue Theodore Lefebvre, F-86000, Poitiers, France. E-mail: andrei.cristian.tudorache@univ-poitiers.fr
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Abstract

Objective:

The present study explored the resources reallocation explanation for memory biases in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whereby a preferential allocation of cognitive resources to the processing of threatening stimuli could result in both improvements in their memorization and deficits for other types of information.

Method:

To this end, 25 participants presenting significant symptoms of PTSD (i.e., total PCL-5 score ≥33) and 32 participants presenting low levels of symptoms (i.e., total PCL-5 score <20) took part in a Remember/Know recognition procedure associated with a dual-task encoding of positive, neutral, negative, and trauma-related words. In order to manipulate the availability of cognitive resources, the encoding of each word was associated with a simultaneous encoding of series of letters and numbers.

Results:

Results replicated the increased production of Remember recognitions for trauma-related words in participants with significant PTSD symptoms. However, the dual-task load only impaired remember recognitions for non-trauma-related words.

Conclusions:

Contrary to expectations, these findings suggest that the encoding of trauma-related information in PTSD is relatively independent from the availability of cognitive resources. Thus, rather than reflecting an increased allocation of cognitive resources to the processing of threatening information, memory biases in PTSD appeared to be supported by an enhanced efficiency of their processing.

Keywords

Posttraumatic Stress disorder (PTSD)Memory biasesEncodingCognitive resourcesDual-taskRemember/know
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , February 2023 , pp. 172 - 181
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2022

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