Can extremely-intense positive emotions cause amnesia?

[Radium]

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Hi:

I've heard that extremely-negative emotional experiences can cause the individual to lose memory of the event -- dissociative amnesia.

I have two questions:

1. Can extremely positive emotional events also cause dissociative amnesia?

2. What are the neurological mechanisms by which memories of intensely negative psychological events are lost?


Thanks,

Radium

 

[typhoonegator]

PubMed is your friend:

Noël A, Quinette P, Guillery-Girard B, Dayan J, Piolino P, Marquis S, de la Sayette V, Viader F, Desgranges B, Eustache F. Psychopathological factors, memory disorders and transient global amnesia. Br J Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;193(2):145-51.

Abrupt intense changes in emotion can cause TGA. So can anxiety/panic, sexual intercourse, sudden exposure to cold water, etc.

Regarding your second question, you might be more successful on the psych forum asking about how the brain represses negative experiences. A PubMed search for "repression of negative experiences" yielded 18 results. The most pertinent review might be:

Orbach I, Mikulincer M. Repressive coping style and the architecture of emotion-related memories: is their relationship that simple? Br J Soc Psychol. 1996 Dec;35 ( Pt 4):459-71.

Good luck.