J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1997; 9:449-459
Copyright © 1997 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
The neurobiology of recovery memory
SM Zola
San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, CA, USA.
The so-called recovery memory syndrome--reports 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.
