Side effects of induced lateral eye movements during aversive ideation

A. Leer; I.M. Engelhard

doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101566

Side effects of induced lateral eye movements during aversive ideation

A. Leer
, I.M. Engelhard^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Background and objectives: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. It uses a dual-task approach, in which patients recall an aversive memory while making lateral eye movements. Research has shown that this ‘eye movements’ intervention reduces subjective memory vividness and emotionality. This study examined whether it also reduces memory accuracy on a visual discrimination task.

Methods: Participants (68 undergraduates) underwent an aversive conditioning phase, in which two pictures of male faces were followed by shock. Then they recalled one face with (experimental condition) and one without (control condition) making lateral eye movements. Finally, they completed a stimulus discrimination test with slightly different faces shortly after the intervention and one day later.

Results: Results showed that the eye movements intervention led to increased false-positive rates one day later.

Limitations: Our intervention targeted newly formed memory rather than consolidated memory.

Conclusions: The results inform theory about EMDR's mechanisms of change and suggest that the treatment may have side effects regarding memory accuracy.

Original language	English
Article number	101566
Pages (from-to)	1-6
Number of pages	6
Journal	Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
Volume	68
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101566
Publication status	Published - Sept 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
A.L. developed the study concept. Both authors contributed to the study design. Testing and data collection were performed by A.L. Data analysis and interpretation were performed by A.L. under supervision of I.M.E. A.L. drafted the paper, and I.M.E. provided critical revisions. Both authors approved the final version of the paper for submission. This study was financed with a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Defense ( 23.93.032.02.52 ) and a Vici grant ( 453-15-005 ) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded to I.M.E.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

A.L. developed the study concept. Both authors contributed to the study design. Testing and data collection were performed by A.L. Data analysis and interpretation were performed by A.L. under supervision of I.M.E. A.L. drafted the paper, and I.M.E. provided critical revisions. Both authors approved the final version of the paper for submission. This study was financed with a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Defense ( 23.93.032.02.52 ) and a Vici grant ( 453-15-005 ) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded to I.M.E.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

EMDR
False-positives
Lateral eye movements
Memory accuracy
Memory performance

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10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101566

1-s2.0-S0005791619301077-mainFinal published version, 612 KBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

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title = "Side effects of induced lateral eye movements during aversive ideation",

abstract = "Background and objectives: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. It uses a dual-task approach, in which patients recall an aversive memory while making lateral eye movements. Research has shown that this {\textquoteleft}eye movements{\textquoteright} intervention reduces subjective memory vividness and emotionality. This study examined whether it also reduces memory accuracy on a visual discrimination task. Methods: Participants (68 undergraduates) underwent an aversive conditioning phase, in which two pictures of male faces were followed by shock. Then they recalled one face with (experimental condition) and one without (control condition) making lateral eye movements. Finally, they completed a stimulus discrimination test with slightly different faces shortly after the intervention and one day later. Results: Results showed that the eye movements intervention led to increased false-positive rates one day later. Limitations: Our intervention targeted newly formed memory rather than consolidated memory. Conclusions: The results inform theory about EMDR's mechanisms of change and suggest that the treatment may have side effects regarding memory accuracy.",

keywords = "EMDR, False-positives, Lateral eye movements, Memory accuracy, Memory performance",

author = "A. Leer and I.M. Engelhard",

note = "Funding Information: A.L. developed the study concept. Both authors contributed to the study design. Testing and data collection were performed by A.L. Data analysis and interpretation were performed by A.L. under supervision of I.M.E. A.L. drafted the paper, and I.M.E. provided critical revisions. Both authors approved the final version of the paper for submission. This study was financed with a grant from the Netherlands Ministry of Defense ( 23.93.032.02.52 ) and a Vici grant ( 453-15-005 ) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) awarded to I.M.E. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier Ltd",

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language = "English",

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AU - Engelhard, I.M.

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PY - 2020/9

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N2 - Background and objectives: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. It uses a dual-task approach, in which patients recall an aversive memory while making lateral eye movements. Research has shown that this ‘eye movements’ intervention reduces subjective memory vividness and emotionality. This study examined whether it also reduces memory accuracy on a visual discrimination task. Methods: Participants (68 undergraduates) underwent an aversive conditioning phase, in which two pictures of male faces were followed by shock. Then they recalled one face with (experimental condition) and one without (control condition) making lateral eye movements. Finally, they completed a stimulus discrimination test with slightly different faces shortly after the intervention and one day later. Results: Results showed that the eye movements intervention led to increased false-positive rates one day later. Limitations: Our intervention targeted newly formed memory rather than consolidated memory. Conclusions: The results inform theory about EMDR's mechanisms of change and suggest that the treatment may have side effects regarding memory accuracy.

AB - Background and objectives: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. It uses a dual-task approach, in which patients recall an aversive memory while making lateral eye movements. Research has shown that this ‘eye movements’ intervention reduces subjective memory vividness and emotionality. This study examined whether it also reduces memory accuracy on a visual discrimination task. Methods: Participants (68 undergraduates) underwent an aversive conditioning phase, in which two pictures of male faces were followed by shock. Then they recalled one face with (experimental condition) and one without (control condition) making lateral eye movements. Finally, they completed a stimulus discrimination test with slightly different faces shortly after the intervention and one day later. Results: Results showed that the eye movements intervention led to increased false-positive rates one day later. Limitations: Our intervention targeted newly formed memory rather than consolidated memory. Conclusions: The results inform theory about EMDR's mechanisms of change and suggest that the treatment may have side effects regarding memory accuracy.

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KW - Memory accuracy

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Side effects of induced lateral eye movements during aversive ideation

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

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