La mémoire intrusive dans le trouble de stress post-traumatique : apport de la neuroimagerie

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that develops in individuals who have been exposed to life-threatening events. The current definitions are more extensive, including people indirectly involved. This last point means that the role of memory and mental imagery is major and also explains that flashback and intrusive memory are core symptoms of the disorder. If most people experience intrusive memories after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event, not everyone develops PTSD. We need more knowledge about how involuntary images of the trauma intrude into consciousness as intrusive memories. Memory process is well documented, however little is known about specific context of traumatic memory. Brain imaging has been used extensively in the exploration of this disorder, but more data is needed to establish differential psychology between subjects, to make prediction of transition to PTSD, or that can orient the specific therapeutic choice. Investigating subjects during a traumatic event is methodologically complex and ethically unfeasible. It can be experimentally induced using an experimental analogue to approach real-life conditions. We propose in this article a focus on the intrusive memories in PTSD and describe the main outcomes from clinical neurosciences studies.