A Biological Model for Delayed Recall of Childhood Abuse
Titel:
A Biological Model for Delayed Recall of Childhood Abuse
Auteur:
Bremner, J. Douglas
Verschenen in:
Journal of aggression, maltreatment & trauma
Paginering:
Jaargang 4 (2001) nr. 2 pagina's 165-183
Jaar:
2001-06-12
Inhoud:
There is currently scientific controversy related to the validity of delayed recall of memories of childhood abuse. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which affects 8% of the general population, is a possible consequence of childhood abuse. Changes in brain structures and systems mediating memory offer a possible explanation for delayed recall of childhood abuse in patients with abuse-related PTSD. Brain areas affected by traumatic stress are involved in memory and the modulation of emotion and include the hippocampus and medial pre-frontal cortex. Stress also results in acute and chronic changes in neu-rochemical systems, including cortisol and norepinephrine, that strengthens or weakens the laying down of memory traces. Patients with PTSD have alterations in a broad range of memory functions, including insertions, deletions and distortions. PTSD patients also show changes in structure and function in brain regions mediating memory, including the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex, as well as in brain chemical systems involved in the stress response that influence the laying down and retrieval of memories, including cortisol and norepinephrine. The effects of stress on the brain highlight the importance of considering PTSD in research on memory that is generalized to questions about the delayed recall of childhood abuse.
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