Neurobiology of reconstructed memory.

The authors present evidence that normal autobiographical memories and "recov-ered " autobiographical memories of long-forgotten traumatic events are produced by the same mechanisms. The basic process involves the parallel storage of information in a set of independent modules, the selective retrieval and reaggregation f this dispersed information within an appropriate spatiotemporal context, and the organization of this aggregate by a narrative. The result is a seamless blend of retrieved information (that which is recalled) and knowledge (that which is inferred) experienced asan autobiographical memory. The critical difference between ormal and recovered memories, by this account, is the impact of trauma on the storage process: The physiological consequences of trauma can include a disabling of the neural module responsible for encoding the appropriate spatiotemporal context. Recovered memory involves retrieval of memory fragments, confabulation (inno-cent or not) driven by inference, and the fitting of a context o this incomplete aggregate. This too is experienced asan autobiographical memory. The implications of this view for estimating the veridicality of recovered memories are discussed.