Episodic Autobiographical Memory in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

An Exploration With the Autobiographical Interview

Bibliographic Data

ID15529987
AuthorsRomain Coutelle (0000-0003-2260-8503, Université de Strasbourg, corresponding author), Marc-André Goltzène (0000-0001-5715-632X, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg), Marie Canton (Hôpital d'Enfants), Mélodie Campiglia-Sabourin (Hôpital d'Enfants), Juliette Rabot (0000-0001-8081-9785, Université de Strasbourg), Éric Bizet (Université de Strasbourg), Marie Schoenberger (Centre d’Investigation Clinique Innovation Technologique de Nancy), Fabrice Berna (0000-0002-6118-0629, Université de Strasbourg), Jean‐Marie Danion (0000-0002-1980-1006, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg)
Year2021
Volume11
Pages593855-593855
Publication date2021-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2020.593855
PMID33597897
OpenAlexW3128757017
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

Introduction: The literature has provided contradictory results regarding the status of episodic memory in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This might be explained by methodological differences across studies. In the present one, the well-recommended Autobiographical Interview was used in which important aspects of episodic memory were assessed, namely, the number and richness of phenomenological memory details, before and after a retrieval support. Method: Twenty-five well-documented adults with ASD without Intellectual Disability (nine women) and 25 control participants were included and asked to recall six specific autobiographical events. The number and richness of details were assessed globally and for five categories of details (perceptual/sensory, temporal, contextual, emotional, and cognitive), firstly before and then after a specific cueing phase consisting in a series of specific questions to elicit more precise memory details. Results: Cumulatively, from the spontaneous recall to the cueing phase, the number of internal details was lower in ASD individuals compared to controls, but this difference was relevant only after the specific cueing procedure and observed only for contextual details. In contrast, no relevant group difference was observed during spontaneous recall. The detail richness was not impaired in ASD throughout the Autobiographical Interview procedure. Conclusion: Our results speak against a clear impairment of episodicity of autobiographical memory in ASD individuals. They thus challenge previous ones showing both a reduced specificity and episodicity of autobiographical memory in this population and call for further studies to get a better understanding on the status of episodic autobiographical memory in ASD

Autism · Autism spectrum disorder · Autobiographical memory · Childhood amnesia · Childhood memory · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Episodic memory · Psychiatry · Recall · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Family and Disability Support Research · Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Psychology

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