Research article summary (published 15 Nov 2007):

Intrusions in story recall: when over-learned information interferes with episodic memory recall. Evidence from Alzheimer's disease.

Full Abstract

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) suffer from distortions of memory. Among such distortions, intrusions in memory tests are frequently observed. In this study we describe the performance of a group of mild AD patients and a group of normal controls on the recall of three different types of stories: a previously unknown story, a well-known fairy-tale (Cinderella), and a modified well-known fairy-tale (Little Red Riding Hood is not eaten by the wolf). The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that in patients who tend to produce intrusions, over-learned information interferes with episodic recall, i.e., the retrieval of specific, unique past episodes. AD patients produced significantly more intrusions in the recall of the modified fairy-tale compared to the recall of the two other stories. Intrusions in the recall of the modified fairy-tale always consisted of elements of the original version of the story. We suggest that in AD patients intrusions may be traced back to the interference of strongly represented, over-learned information in episodic memory recall.

Author information

Author/s: De Anna, Francesca (F); Attali, Eve (E); Freynet, Laurence (L); Foubert, Lucie (L); Laurent, Aurore (A); Dubois, Bruno (B); Dalla Barba, Gianfranco (G);

Affiliation: INSERM Unit 610, Paris, France.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article

Journal: Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior (Cortex), published in Italy. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Mar; vol 44 (issue 3) : pp 305-11

Dates: Created 2008/04/04; Completed 2008/05/15;

PMID: 18387559, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged Aged, 80 and over Alzheimer Disease - complications; psychology Analysis of Variance Case-Control Studies Female Humans Inhibition (Psychology)

Male Memory Disorders - complications; psychology Mental Recall - physiology Overlearning - physiology Reference Values Retention (Psychology) - physiology Serial Learning - physiology Verbal Behavior - physiology

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