Emotional Context Impact on Episodic Memory

Overseen By Erin Sibley

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Boston College

Must not be taking: Psychotropic drugs

Disqualifiers: Psychiatric, Neurological, Pregnancy, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

150 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of this study is to assess how emotional memories integrate and interfere with one another over time. We will be using a multi-session experimental paradigm consisting of two encoding sessions and one retrieval session. Participants will either complete these sessions online or in-person, with the latter collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging during the two encoding sessions.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

If you are currently using psychotropic drugs (medications that affect your mind, emotions, or behavior), you cannot participate in this trial.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Emotional Context Similarity for improving episodic memory?

Research shows that emotions can enhance memory by affecting how memories are formed and recalled, with positive and negative emotional contexts activating different brain areas to improve memory recall. This suggests that using emotional context in treatments could help improve memory by leveraging these natural brain processes. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the treatment in the Emotional Context Impact on Episodic Memory trial differ from other treatments for memory conditions?

This treatment is unique because it focuses on how emotional context affects memory, specifically enhancing memory for emotional events while potentially impairing memory for associated contexts. Unlike traditional memory treatments that may not consider emotional influences, this approach explores the dual impact of emotions on different memory aspects, such as enhancing item recognition but impairing associative memory. ^{1 5 6 7 8}

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for individuals fluent in English who can follow the study protocol. Online participants need an account on a specified crowdsourcing platform. Those with psychiatric or neurological conditions, current psychotropic drug use, or specific issues that preclude MRI scans (like metal in the body) cannot participate.

Inclusion Criteria

All participants must be willing and able to follow the protocol

Online participants must have an online account in the crowdsourcing platform that will be used (e.g., Prolific)

All participants must be fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria

I have a history of mental health or neurological conditions, or I'm currently using medication for these issues.

fMRI participants who are pregnant, have metal in the body (including piercings or metallic makeup if unwilling to remove), unable to lie still for the duration of the scan (e.g., due to pain), have Meniere's disease, claustrophobia, or other contraindication for MRI as determined by the MRI technician, or are left-handed

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

Encoding Session 1

Participants encode AB neutral word pairs with images and complete a retrieval task until 90% accuracy is achieved.

1 day

1 visit (in-person or online)

Encoding Session 2

Participants encode new AC word pairs with images and complete a memory test until 90% accuracy is achieved.

1 day

1 visit (in-person or online)

Retrieval Session

Participants recall word associates from both encoding sessions and report the day and valence of the paired images.

1 day

1 visit (in-person or online)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any additional data collection or analysis needs post-study.

1 week

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Emotional Context Similarity

Trial Overview The study aims to understand how emotional memories affect each other over time using two encoding sessions and one retrieval session. Participants will either join online or in-person; the latter includes brain imaging during encoding sessions.

Participant Groups

Group I: Emotional memory updating paradigm Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

All participants will encode AB/AC word pairs shown with images that have differing emotional valence (positive, negative, or neutral)

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Boston College

Lead Sponsor

Trials

40

Recruited

49,300+

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotional context modulates subsequent memory effect. [2019]

2. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotional memory: separating content and context. [2008]

3. France pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Memory and affect]. [2006]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A retrieved context model of the emotional modulation of memory. [2020]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Emotional memory persists longer than event memory. [2019]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Exploring the Facets of Emotional Episodic Memory: Remembering "What," "When," and "Which". [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Negative affect impairs associative memory but not item memory. [2022]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Influences of emotion on context memory while viewing film clips. [2019]