Investigating the Impact of Interoception on Autobiographical Memory Retrieval

The act of retrieving an autobiographical memory is a complex cognitive process, influenced by an array of external and internal factors. Models of embodied cognition suggest that body representations significantly impact the retrieval of autobiographical memory. Particularly interoception, the perception of internal bodily sensations, is posited as a critical component in the efficient Construction and subsequent Elaboration of memories, even though its role in retrieval is underexplored experimentally. This thesis addresses the existing gap in empirical literature by exploring the interplay between interoception and autobiographical memory. Across five studies distributed over three chapters, we offer a comprehensive examination of how our internal bodily awareness interacts with and influences the process of memory retrieval. Chapter One presents two studies focused on examining the relationship between self-reported interoception and measures of individual differences in autobiographical memory, encompassing various features. Study 1a revealed a significant association between interoceptive measures and the general experience of recollection, as well as the tendency for mental time travel in our sample. This finding indicates a broader effect of interoception on both phases of memory retrieval, which persists irrespective of affect. Study 1b served as a replication of our initial investigation and corroborated the findings, reinforcing the consistency and robustness of the observed relationship between our variables of interest. Chapter Two addressed whether specific characteristics of retrieved memories were influenced by interoception, particularly focusing on emotionality of memories. In Study 2, utilizing a more ecological methodology, we discovered that the emotional valence of autobiographical memories was selectively affected by interoception. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of interoception tended to recall positive memories more frequently. This observation provides evidence that interoceptive abilities play a critical role in sustaining the positivity bias in memory recall, potentially by inhibiting negative memories in favour of positive ones. To preliminarily investigate this hypothesis, we conducted Study 3. The results of this study indicated that interoception was not directly linked to inhibition itself, but rather to the suppression of various types of non-autobiographical information that had been previously studied. While these findings are intriguing, they underline the need for further research focusing on self-related and autobiographical memories, as opposed to solely on previously studied information. Finally, in Chapter Three, Study 4 aimed to explore the presence of a relationship between interoception and autobiographical memory in the context of ageing, particularly focusing on whether variations in interoceptive processing influenced autobiographical memory impairment in a population of Mild Cognitive Impairment patients. Our preliminary findings from the initial sample indicated a marked difference between patients and controls in both the Elaboration of memories and in interoceptive processing. Significantly, the study revealed the influence of multiple measures of interoception on the Construction phase of memory retrieval for patients. We observed that patients with higher interoceptive abilities were more efficient in retrieving memories compared to those with lower interoceptive skills. This suggests that interoception could serve as a potential protective factor in memory retrieval for MCI patients, highlighting its possible role in mitigating the effects of cognitive decline. Taken together, our results provide substantial evidence supporting the concept that bodily experiences profoundly influence how we retrieve memories, thereby providing evidence for previous theories of embodied cognition.