Rewriting the past: Reconsolidation of emotional episodic memories

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/nr6vc_v1
• Publication Date: 2025-04-16T14:25:26Z
• Authors: Alison Montagrin; Sophie Schwartz; David Sander; Ulrike Rimmele

Our memory is a living canvas that constantly being updated with new information. In this context, emotional events, compared to neutral ones, are generally believed yield stronger traces. Yet, it unclear whether the latter more resistant subsequent changes upon reactivation. Moreover, unknown experiences, effective in altering preexisting memories. Here, we report series of five experiments investigating relationship between emotion and updating. We first replicate prior observation by Hupbach et al. (2007) memories for events can be changed integrating new, information reactivation (Experiment 1). then show memories, when reactivated, also integrate 2). However, integration does not occur immediately after reactivating pre-existing but rather 48-hour period reconsolidation 3). Finally, did find evidence into 4) or 5) presented Together, these studies shed light on dynamic nature memory, revealing our flexible constructs reshaped ongoing experiences. findings may have therapeutic legal implications, such as preserving highly traces, case post-traumatic disorder stress eyewitness testimony respectively.