Autobiographical Memory in Patients with Bipolar Disorder

양극성 장애 환자의 자서전적 기억

  • Sun, Ja-Yeun (Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Ha, Ra-Yeon (Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Su-Jin (Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Ryu, Vin (Department of Psychiatry, Konyang University College of Medicine) ;
  • Ha, Kyoo-Seob (Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital) ;
  • Cho, Hyun-Sang (Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine)
  • 선자연 (연세대학교 의과대학 정신건강의학교실) ;
  • 하라연 (연세대학교 의과대학 정신건강의학교실) ;
  • 이수진 (연세대학교 의과대학 의학행동과학연구소) ;
  • 유빈 (건양대학교 의과대학 정신건강의학교실) ;
  • 하규섭 (분당서울대학교병원 정신건강의학과) ;
  • 조현상 (연세대학교 의과대학 정신건강의학교실)
  • Received : 2011.10.05
  • Accepted : 2011.11.10
  • Published : 2012.02.29

Abstract

Objectives : Autobiographical memory (ABM) is a special type of episodic memory, containing events that have occurred in a personal life. Overgeneral tendency of ABM refers to the retrieval of memory with only general and categorical descriptions rather than specific events. ABM specificity in depression and posttraumatic stress disorder is a robust finding with relation to cognitive vulnerability, affect regulation, problem-solving ability. It is also implicated in bipolar disorder with frequent relapses. In this study, we investigated whether ABM specificity was related to manic or euthymic mood states in patients with bipolar disorder. Methods : Forty bipolar patients with manic and euthymic episodes and 25 healthy controls participated in this study. Prompted by 5 positively and 5 negatively valenced emotional cue words, each participant was instructed to recall positive or negative memories and describe them in detail. The One-way ANOVA was used to compare ABM scores and post-hoc analyses were done. Results : Comapred to the healthy persons, the bipolar patients reported significantly more general than specific negative memories in both manic and euthymic episodes (p = 0.003). However, there was no significant difference between manic and euthymic patients (p = 0.074). Conclusions : These results suggest that overgeneral tendency of negative ABM may be a trait abnormality in bipolar disorder. Moreover, this phenomenon might be related to underlying cognitive deficits or affect regulation irrespective of the mood state.

Keywords

References

  1. Tohen M, Waternaux CM, Tsuang MT. Outcome in Mania. A 4-year prospective follow-up of 75 patients utilizing survival analysis. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1990;47:1106-1111. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1990.01810240026005
  2. Zivanovic O, Nedic A. Kraepelin's concept of manic-depressive insanity: One hundred years later. J Affect Disord 2011. [Epub ahead of print].
  3. Gitlin MJ, Swendsen J, Heller TL, Hammen C. Relapse and impairment in bipolar disorder. Am J Psychiatry 1995;152:1635-1640. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.152.11.1635
  4. Miklowitz DJ, Otto MW. Psychosocial interventions for bipolar disorder: a review of literature and introduction of the systematic treatment enhancement program. Psychopharmacol Bull 2007;40:116-131.
  5. Zarate CA Jr, Tohen M, Land M, Cavanagh S. Functional impairment and cognition in bipolar disorder. Psychiatr Q 2000;71:309-329. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004632206684
  6. Tohen M, Hennen J, Zarate CM Jr, Baldessarini RJ, Strakowski SM, Stoll AL, et al. Two-year syndromal and functional recovery in 219 cases of first-episode major affective disorder with psychotic features. Am J Psychiatry 2000;157:220-228. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.157.2.220
  7. Scott J, Teasdale JD, Paykel ES, Johnson AL, Abbott R, Hayhurst H, et al. Effects of cognitive therapy on psychological symptoms and social functioning in residual depression. Br J Psychiatry 2000;177:440-446. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.177.5.440
  8. Scott J, Stanton B, Garland A, Ferrier IN. Cognitive vulnerability in patients with bipolar disorder. Psychol Med 2000;30:467-472. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291799008879
  9. Conway MA, Pleydell-Pearce CW. The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system. Psychol Rev 2000;107:261-288. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.107.2.261
  10. Conway MA, Bekerian DA. Organization in autobiographical memory. Mem Cognit 1987;15:119-132. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197023
  11. Rubin DC, Dennis MF, Beckham JC. Autobiographical memory for stressful events: the role of autobiographical memory in posttraumatic stress disorder. Conscious Cogn 2011;20:840-856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2011.03.015
  12. Williams JM, Broadbent K. Autobiographical memory in suicide attempters. J Abnorm Psychol 1986;95:144-149. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.95.2.144
  13. Doh SK, Chey JY. Overgeneral autobiographical memory in depressed and abused individuals. Korean J Clinical Psych 2003;22:21-341.
  14. Bryant RA, Sutherland K, Guthrie RM. Impaired specific autobiographical memory as a risk factor for posttraumatic stress after trauma. J Abnorm Psychol 2007;116:837-841. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.116.4.837
  15. Dalgleish T, Brewin CR. Autobiographical memory and emotional disorder: a special issue of Memory. Memory 2007;15:225-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210701256399
  16. Reid T, Startup M. Autobiographical memory specificity in borderline personality disorder: associations with co-morbid depression and intellectual ability. Br J Clin Psychol 2010;49:413-420. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466510X487059
  17. Goddard L, Dritschel B, Burton A. Role of autobiographical memory in social problem solving and depression. J Abnorm Psychol 1996;105:609-616. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.105.4.609
  18. Brittlebank AD, Scott J, Williams JM, Ferrier IN. Autobiographical memory in depression: state or trait marker? Br J Psychiatry 1993;162:118-121. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.162.1.118
  19. Shimizu M, Kubota Y, Mason R, Baba H, Calabrese JR, Toichi M. Selective deficit of autobiographical incident memory in subjects with bipolar disorder. Psychopathology 2009;42:318-324. https://doi.org/10.1159/000232974
  20. Goddard L, Dritschel B, Burton A. Social problem solving and autobiographical memory in non-clinical depression. Br J Clin Psychol 1997;36:449-451. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1997.tb01252.x
  21. Arie M, Apter A, Orbach I, Yefet Y, Zalzman G. Autobiographical memory, interpersonal problem solving, and suicidal behavior in adolescent inpatients. Compr Psychiatry 2008;49:22-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2007.07.004
  22. Tzemou E, Birchwood M. A prospective study of dysfunctional thinking and the regulation of negative intrusive memories in bipolar 1 disorder: implications for affect regulation theory. Psychol Med 2007;37:689-698. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291706009470
  23. Delduca CM, Jones SH, Barnard P. A preliminary investigation of the effect of hypomanic personality on the specificity and speed of autobiographical memory recall. Memory 2010;18:12-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210903387513
  24. Lam D, Wright K, Sham P. Sense of hyper-positive self and response to cognitive therapy in bipolar disorder. Psychol Med 2005;35:69-77. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291704002910
  25. Mansell W, Lam D. A preliminary study of autobiographical memory in remitted bipolar and unipolar depression and the role of imagery in the specificity of memory. Memory 2004;12:437-446. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210444000052
  26. Kim BR, Lee E, Kim HH, Park JY, Kang JI, An SK. Development of the Korean affective word list. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2010;49:468-479.
  27. Murphy FC, Sahakian BJ, Rubinsztein JS, Michael A, Rogers RD, Robbins TW, et al. Emotional bias and inhibitory control processes in mania and depression. Psychol Med 1999;29:1307-1321. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291799001233
  28. Lembke A, Ketter TA. Impaired recognition of facial emotion in mania. Am J Psychiatry 2002;159:302-304. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.2.302
  29. Kim SJ, Kang JI, Lee JH, An SK, Cho HS. Mood-congruent bias to emotional word, face, and scene stimuli in patients with bipolar mania: comparison to normal and schizophrenia subjects. Korean J Psychopharmacol 2009;20:125-134.
  30. Ryu V, An SK, Jo HH, Cho HS. Decreased P3 amplitudes elicited by negative facial emotion in manic patients: selective deficits in emotional processing. Neurosci Lett 2010;481:92-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2010.06.059
  31. Hipwell AE, Sapotichne B, Klostermann S, Battista D, Keenan K. Autobiographical memory as a predictor of depression vulnerability in girls. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 2011;40:254-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.546037
  32. Sweeney JA, Kmiec JA, Kupfer DJ. Neuropsychologic impairments in bipolar and unipolar mood disorders on the CANTAB neurocognitive battery. Biol Psychiatry 2000;48:674-684. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3223(00)00910-0
  33. Ferrier IN, Stanton BR, Kelly TP, Scott J. Neuropsychological function in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. Br J Psychiatry 1999;175:246-251. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.175.3.246
  34. Harmer CJ, Clark L, Grayson L, Goodwin GM. Sustained attention deficit in bipolar disorder is not a working memory impairment in disguise. Neuropsychologia 2002;40:1586-1590. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0028-3932(02)00019-2
  35. Rubinsztein JS, Michael A, Paykel ES, Sahakian BJ. Cognitive impairment in remission in bipolar affective disorder. Psychol Med 2000;30:1025-1036. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291799002664
  36. Goldberg JF, Chengappa KN. Identifying and treating cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2009;11 Suppl 2:123-137. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-5618.2009.00716.x
  37. Martinez-Aran A, Vieta E, Colom F, Torrent C, Sanchez-Moreno J, Reinares M, et al. Cognitive impairment in euthymic bipolar patients: implications for clinical and functional outcome. Bipolar Disord 2004;6:224-232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-5618.2004.00111.x
  38. Martinez-Aran A, Vieta E, Reinares M, Colom F, Torrent C, Sanchez-Moreno J, et al. Cognitive function across manic or hypomanic, depressed, and euthymic states in bipolar disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2004;161:262-270. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.2.262
  39. Evans J, Williams JM, O'Loughlin S, Howells K. Autobiographical memory and problem-solving strategies of parasuicide patients. Psychol Med 1992;22:399-405. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291700030348
  40. Hermans D, Defranc A, Raes F, Williams JM, Eelen P. Reduced autobiographical memory specificity as an avoidant coping style. Br J Clin Psychol 2005;44:583-589. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466505X53461
  41. Nandrino JL, Pezard L, Poste A, Reveillere C, Beaune D. Autobiographical memory in major depression: a comparison between first-episode and recurrent patients. Psychopathology 2002;35:335-340. https://doi.org/10.1159/000068591
  42. Phillips S, Williams JM. Cognitive impairment, depression and the specificity of autobiographical memory in the elderly. Br J Clin Psychol 1997;36:341-347. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1997.tb01242.x
  43. Park RJ, Goodyer IM, Teasdale JD. Categoric overgeneral autobiographical memory in adolescents with major depressive disorder. Psychol Med 2002;32:267-276. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291701005189
  44. Cimino CR, Verfaellie M, Bowers D, Heilman KM. Autobiographical memory: influence of right hemisphere damage on emotionality and specificity. Brain Cogn 1991;15:106-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-2626(91)90019-5
  45. Holland CA, Rabbitt PM. Autobiographical and text recall in the elderly: an investigation of a processing resource deficit. Q J Exp Psychol A 1990;42:441-470. https://doi.org/10.1080/14640749008401232
  46. Clark L, Iversen SD, Goodwin GM. A neuropsychological investigation of prefrontal cortex involvement in acute mania. Am J Psychiatry 2001;158:1605-1611. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.10.1605
  47. Dalgleish T, Williams JM, Golden AM, Perkins N, Barrett LF, Barnard PJ, et al. Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory and depression: the role of executive control. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2007;136:23-42. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.136.1.23
  48. Yanes PK, Roberts JE, Carlos EL. Does overgeneral autobiographical memory result from poor memory for task instructions? Memory 2008;16:669-677. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658210802135351
  49. Crane C, Barnhofer T, Visser C, Nightingale H, Williams JM. The effects of analytical and experiential rumination on autobiographical memory specificity in individuals with a history of major depression. Behav Res Ther 2007;45:3077-3087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2007.05.009
  50. Sutherland K, Bryant RA. Rumination and overgeneral autobiographical memory. Behav Res Ther 2007;45:2407-2416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2007.03.018
  51. Fleck DE, Shear PK, Zimmerman ME, Getz GE, Corey KB, Jak A, et al. Verbal memory in mania: effects of clinical state and task requirements. Bipolar Disord 2003;5:375-380. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1399-5618.2003.00055.x
  52. Haddad AD, Williams JM, McTavish SF, Harmer CJ. Low-dose tryptophan depletion in recovered depressed women induces impairments in autobiographical memory specificity. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2009;207:499-508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-009-1693-2
  53. Bora E, Vahip S, Akdeniz F, Gonul AS, Eryavuz A, Ogut M, et al. The effect of previous psychotic mood episodes on cognitive impairment in euthymic bipolar patients. Bipolar Disord 2007;9:468-477. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-5618.2007.00469.x