The immediacy of recollection: The use of the historical present in narratives of autobiographical episodes by patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy

▸ Historical present (HP) tense assesses the conscious experience of recollection. ▸ The HP tense correlates with rich vivid details in autobiographical narratives. ▸ Patients with TLE had fewer instances of the HP tense than healthy controls. ▸ Patients with TLE experience a reduced sense of autonoetic consciousness. ▸ The HP tense can be used as an indirect measure of recollection.