The neurobiology of recovered memory

The so-called recovered memory syndromereports by adults of recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse and trauma that were allegedly “repressed”for many years-has become an important issue in the field of mental health. In particular, there is debate about the credibility of recovered memories. The author describes findings in several fields of brain science about the way memory works and how memory is organized in the brain. These findings clarify aspects of normal memory function and the process of memory distortion, and they provide a neurobiological perspective from which to approach the topic of recovered memory. (The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 1997; 9:449-459) D uring the last two decades, two separate but related developments have led to new insights about memory and about how memory is organized in the brain. One development has involved the systematic study of memory and memory distortion by cognitive and experimental psychologists. This work addresses questions about whether and how one’s memories for events change over time. Interest in this area has been stimulated in part by the increasing number of case reports in which adults appear to uncover long-forgotten memories of sexual abuse and trauma. This phenomenon has been variously referred to as “decades-delayed discovery,” “recovery of repressed memories,” the “false memory syndrome,” and “recovered memory.” In this review, I will use the term “recovered memory” to refer to this phenomenon. Recovered memories have been reported to emerge with considerable detail as long as 10,20, or even 40 years after the alleged abuse or trauma. Individuals identified as the abusers, usually parents or other family members, frequently deny the episodes and say that they have been wrongfully accused; that is, they claim that the recovered memories of abuse are false memories. The recovered memory phenomenon has engendered considerable controversy and debate within the field of psychiatry. Because there is often no physical evidence and no other corroborating evidence to support the claim of abuse, a major part of the con-