The memory of our first childhood friend, the smell we love the most, who we were and how we love life are issues inherent in autobiographical memory, can you imagine forgetting who the people closest to you are, how was your first kiss?Or what were your favorite places?
Today we’re going to talk about this kind of memory, let’s begin with what it’s all about. Later we will talk about your division, we will also deepen your relationship with consciousness and finally we will see some current research that sheds light on how to find an alternative treatment and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
“Memory is the smell of the soul. ” – George Sand-
Autobiographical memory is the one that relates to personal experiences, is formed by the memories we have of our life and is also the support of our biography, since it acts as an organizer of our experiences.
This memory is the result of the interaction we have with the world and is defined by what we do, according to José Maria Ruiz-Vargas, professor and researcher of the Faculty of Psychology of the Autonomous University of Madrid, autobiographical memories are characterized by:
Autobiographical memory also has to do with a temporary distribution. The availability of the personal past is not uniform, it varies in each and also depending on the stage of the life cycle in which we find ourselves.
Autobiographical memory consists of two elements
Examples of episodic autobiographical memories include: “I remember the day I first dived and saw a turtle” or “I remember when I was hospitalized for depression. “On the other hand, one of the semantic autobiographical memories would be: “When I was a kid, I visited my grandmother every Saturday. “
If we analyze both types of memory, we will see that episodic autobiographical memory is linked to subjective time, allowing us to relive previous experiences through an autonotic consciousness; that is, to allow ourselves to feel that we are living our memories, as a kind of mental journey through time. On the other hand, autobiographical semantic memory leads to a limited awareness of the sense of familiarity.
Autobiographical memory remains a highly explored field today; most importantly, it is associated with neurodegenerative diseases and post-traumatic stress disorder. Let’s get into Alzheimer’s disease (EA).
Autobiographical memory deteriorates in Alzheimer’s disease, the curious thing is that several studies have shown that this occurs differently depending on the type and normal and pathological aging.
Therefore, when people remember their past, they manifest a thought associated with episodic memory. The production of these memories is low compared to semantics. People with EA have little ability to remember episodic autobiographical moments.
To study autobiographical memory in EA, some specialists have used experiments by reminiscence, i. e. evocation of memories.
For example, El haj, Fasotti
In short, autobiographical memory is intimately linked to who we are, because it relates to our experiences in general and in detail. The way autobiographical memories are evoked in normal and pathological aging is different.
In addition, people with EA have progressive loss of episodic autobiographical memory; several studies continue to explore this type of memory, and we hope that they will continue to pave the way so that we can better understand it in its normal and pathological functioning.