Article

The multifocal nature of lesions in multiple sclerosis hints at the occurrence of
autobiographical memory (AbM) impairment. However, the dearth of studies on AbM
in multiple sclerosis is noticeable, notwithstanding the importance of AbM in
everyday life. In the first section of this study,
25 multiple sclerosis patients
and 35 controls underwent a detailed episodic AbM assessment. Results obtained by
means of ANOVA suggested an AbM retrieval deficit in every patient. That pattern
of performance paved the way for the second section of the study, in which we
followed up 10 out of the 25 patients. Our objective was to assess the
effectiveness of a cognitive facilitation programme designed to alleviate AbM
retrieval deficits, based on the key role of mental visual imagery on AbM.
Statistical group analyses by means of ANOVA and individual analyses using the
chi(2) test showed significant differences in AbM test results, in
post-facilitation relative to pre-facilitation training, in all 10 patients.
Moreover, the patients' comments showed that the positive effects were
transferred in their daily life functioning. We would like to suggest that the
facilitation programme efficiently enhanced the process of self-centred mental
visual imagery, which might have compensated for poor retrieval of personal
memories by providing better access to visual details and detailed visual scenes
of personal recollections.

Langue : ANGLAIS