Vanessa Van Ast

How we remember: emotional episodic memories change over time 

Our emotional memories seem to be a reliable record of our experiences. But nothing is further from the truth: recollection of past experiences changes over time and so do the accompanying emotions (emotional episodic memory). However, classic theories of memory cannot easily explain such dynamics. Furthermore, past research on emotional memory has traditionally focused either on alterations in content or the emotional expression of memory. Based on recent data from experimental studies in our lab using paradigms that combine these measures, I will present new insights in the way emotional experiences can simultaneously alter the content and psychophysiological expression of existing memories. Ultimately, delineation of the fate of such dynamic episodic emotional memories may help to understand the etiology and treatment of emotional memory disorders.