Eye movement intervention facilitates concurrent perception and memory processing
This article utilized EEG scans to look at neural activity during eye movements and suggested information facilitation is important in EMDR therapy.
Article Abstract
“A widely used psychotherapeutic treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves performing bilateral eye movement (EM) during trauma memory retrieval. However, how this treatment—described as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)—alleviates trauma-related symptoms is unclear. While conventional theories suggest that bilateral EM interferes with concurrently retrieved trauma memories by taxing the limited working memory resources, here, we propose that bilateral EM actually facilitates information processing. In two EEG experiments, we replicated the bilateral EM procedure of EMDR, having participants engaging in continuous bilateral EM or receiving bilateral sensory stimulation (BS) as a control while retrieving short- or long-term memory. During EM or BS, we presented bystander images or memory cues to probe neural representations of perceptual and memory information. Multivariate pattern analysis of the EEG signals revealed that bilateral EM enhanced neural representations of simultaneously processed perceptual and memory information. This enhancement was accompanied by heightened visual responses and increased neural excitability in the occipital region. Furthermore, bilateral EM increased information transmission from the occipital to the frontoparietal region, indicating facilitated information transition from low-level perceptual representation to high-level memory representation. These findings argue for theories that emphasize information facilitation rather than disruption in the EMDR treatment.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Paid/Subscription Access
Wang, S., He, Y., Hu, J., Xia, J., Fang, K., Yu, J., & Wang, Y. (2024). Eye movement intervention facilitates concurrent perception and memory processing. Cerebral Cortex, 34(5), bhae190. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhae190
Date
May 9, 2024
Creator(s)
Sinuo Wang, Yang He, Jie Hu
Contributor(s)
Jianan Xia, Ke Fang, Junna Yu, Yingying Wang
Practice & Methods
Efficacy, Neurobiology
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Rights
© The Author(s) 2024
APA Citation
Wang, S., He, Y., Hu, J., Xia, J., Fang, K., Yu, J., & Wang, Y. (2024). Eye movement intervention facilitates concurrent perception and memory processing. Cerebral Cortex, 34(5), bhae190. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhae190
Audience
EMDR Therapists
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed
Access Type
External Resource