The neurobiology of recovery memory

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.