The picture of the past: Pictures to cue autobiographical memory in Alzheimer's disease

摘要

Introduction This study investigated the effect of pictorial cues on autobiographical memory in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We assessed autobiographical memory of patients with AD and cognitively normal older adults in two conditions. Methods In one condition, the participants were provided with verbal instructions to retrieve three autobiographical memories. In the second condition, the same verbal instructions were provided; however, the participants were simultaneously presented with three pictures. We analyzed autobiographical memory regarding specificity, that is, the ability to remember unique events situated in time and space. Results Analysis demonstrated higher autobiographical memory after verbal-and-visual cuing than after the no cue condition in both patients with AD and cognitively normal older adults. Discussion Pictorial cues seem to be an effective method to alleviate autobiographical compromise in AD.