ArticleEuropean journal of psychotraumatology2016
Degrading traumatic memories with eye movements: a pilot functional MRI study in PTSD.
Article in European journal of psychotraumatology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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10 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic interventions impact brain function and promote post-traumatic growth in adults living with post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Can working memory account for EMDR efficacy in PTSD?BMC psychology · 2022Article
- Boosting long-term effects of degraded memories via acute stress.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2022Article
- Psychotherapeutic Techniques for Distressing Memories: A Comparative Study between EMDR, Brainspotting, and Body Scan Meditation.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Indonesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- The intersection between the oculomotor and hippocampal memory systems: empirical developments and clinical implications.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2020Review
- A decennial review of psychotraumatology: what did we learn and where are we going?European journal of psychotraumatology · 2019Article
- Overlapping frontoparietal networks in response to oculomotion and traumatic autobiographical memory retrieval: implications for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2019Article
- How Does Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy Work? A Systematic Review on Suggested Mechanisms of Action.Frontiers in psychology · 2018Article
- The neurobiology of PTSD.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2017Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During EMDR, the patient recalls traumatic memories while making eye movements (EMs). Making EMs during recall is associated with decreased vividness and emotionality of traumatic memories, but the underlying mechanism has been unclear. Recent studies support a "working-memory" (WM) theory, which states that the two tasks (recall and EMs) compete for limited capacity of WM resources. However, prior research has mainly relied on self-report measures.
methodsUsing functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tested whether "recall with EMs," relative to a "recall-only" control condition, was associated with reduced activity of primary visual and emotional processing brain regions, associated with vividness and emotionality respectively, and increased activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), associated with working memory. We used a randomized, controlled, crossover experimental design in eight adult patients with a primary diagnosis of PTSD. A script-driven imagery (SDI) procedure was used to measure responsiveness to an audio-script depicting the participant's traumatic memory before and after conditions.
resultsSDI activated mainly emotional processing-related brain regions (anterior insula, rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex), WM-related (DLPFC), and visual (association) brain regions before both conditions. Although predicted pre- to post-test decrease in amygdala activation after "recall with EMs" was not significant, SDI activated less right amygdala and rostral ACC activity after "recall with EMs" compared to post-"recall-only." Furthermore, functional connectivity from the right amygdala to the rostral ACC was decreased after "recall with EMs" compared with after "recall-only."
conclusionsThese preliminary results in a small sample suggest that making EMs during recall, which is part of the regular EMDR treatment protocol, might reduce activity and connectivity in emotional processing-related areas. This study warrants replication in a larger sample. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ARTICLE: Script driven imagery (SDI) before and after recall of traumatic memories is feasible to investigate working mechanisms of degrading of traumatic memories with eye movements (EMs) in PTSD. Right amygdala and rostral ACC activity was significantly lower after "recall with EMs" than after "recall-only". Functional connectivity from amygdala to rostral ACC was decreased after "recall with EMs" vs. "recall-only". This study warrants replication in a larger sample.
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