A Neuropsychonalaytic Review of The Relationship Between the Process of Memory Reconsolidation and Free Association Technique

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 300 - 316, 30.06.2022

Ozan Bıçakcı

https://doi.org/10.31682/ayna.993780

Abstract

Through classical conditioning procedure, subjects give the conditioned response to the neutral stimuli (to which at the beginning no response was elicited) as a result of its pairing with the unconditioned stimuli. To reverse this procedure, extinction paradigm is performed. Several problems might arise as a result of the extinction process that are renewal, reinstatement, and spontaneous recovery of the conditioned response. However, memory reconsolidation view seems to offer considerable solutions to those problems. Accordingly, acquired memories do not stay in their consolidated and stable state. Instead, every time they are reactivated, they become labile and then reconsolidated again with the subsequent protein synthesis. Thus, interventions during this labile state would offer modifications in the original memory, meaning that they could also provide a solution to the problems arisen as a result of extinction procedure. In the light of the neuropsychoanalytic literature, the current review examined whether or not the technique of free association would lead to the reactivation of original memories while rendering them labile which might also result in modifications in them.

Keywords

Classical conditioning, memory reconsolidation, free association, neuro-psychoanalysis

Hafızanın Rekonsolidasyon Süreci ve Serbest Çağrışım Tekniği Arasındaki İlişki Üzerine Nöropsikanalitik Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Klasik koşullanma işleminin sonucunda, en başta nötr olan ve kişinin kendisinde herhangi bir tepki yaratmayan bir uyaranın koşulsuz bir uyaranla eşlenmesiyle, bu uyarana koşullu bir tepki verilmesi sağlanır. Bu sürecin geri çevrilmesi için ise söndürme işleminin uygulanması gerekmektedir. Fakat söndürme işleminin sonucunda ortaya birtakım problemler çıkabilmektedir. Bu problemler koşullu tepkinin yenilenmesi (renewal), eski durumuna dönmesi (reinstatement) ve kendiliğinden geri gelmesi (spontaneous recovery) olarak özetlenebilir. Hafızanın rekonsolidasyonu yaklaşımının ise bu problemlere bir çözüm sunduğu görülmüştür. Şöyle ki hafızanın bir kereye mahsus olarak depolandıktan sonra hayatına sabit ve kararlı bir yapıda devam etmesinden ziyade, her yeniden aktive oluşu (reactivation) ile yeniden kararsız hale geldiği ve sonrasında protein sentezleri ile birlikte tekrardan kararlı bir yapıya büründüğü öne sürülmektedir. Bu kararsız hale gelinen aşamada yapılan müdahalelerin ise orijinal hafızada değişikliğe sebep olabileceği ve böylece de klasik söndürme işleminin yol açtığı problemlere bir çözüm sunabileceği gösterilmektedir. Bu derlemede, psikanalizin temel yöntemlerinden olan serbest çağrışım tekniğinin, yukarıda bahsedilen hafızanın yeniden aktive oluşu ve kararsız hale gelişi durumlarını sağlayıp sağlayamayacağı ve bu sayede orijinal hafızada değişikliklere sebep olup olamayacağı nöropsikanalitik alanyazın ışığında incelenmektedir.

Keywords

Klasik koşullanma, hafızanın rekonsolidasyonu, serbest çağrışım, nöropsikanaliz

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