Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is characterised by, among others, subjectively reported inter-identity amnesia, reflecting compromised information transfer between dissociative identity states. Studies have found conflicting results regarding memory transfer between dissociative identity states. Here, we investigated inter-identity amnesia in individuals with DID using self-relevant, subject specific stimuli, and behavioural and neural measures. Data of 46 matched participants were included; 14 individuals with DID in a trauma-avoidant state, 16 trauma-avoiding DID simulators, and 16 healthy controls. Reaction times and neural activation patterns related to three types of subject specific words were acquired and statistically analysed, namely non-self-relevant trauma-related words (NSt), self-relevant trauma-related words from a trauma-avoidant identity state (St), and trauma-related words from a trauma-related identity state (XSt). We found no differences in reaction times between XSt and St words and faster reaction times for XSt over NSt. Reaction times of the diagnosed DID group were the longest. Increased brain activation to XSt words was found in the frontal and parietal regions, while decreased brain activity was found in the anterior cingulate cortex in the diagnosed DID group. The current study reproduces and amalgamates previous behavioural reports as well as brain activation patterns. Our finding of increased cognitive control over self-relevant trauma-related knowledge processing has important clinical implications and calls for the redefinition of “inter-identity amnesia” to “inter-identity avoidance”.

中文翻译：

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解离性身份障碍中的身份间遗忘得到解决：一项行为和神经生物学研究


分离性身份障碍（DID）的特点是主观报告的身份间遗忘症，反映了分离性身份状态之间的信息传递受损。研究发现关于分离身份状态之间的记忆转移的结果相互矛盾。在这里，我们使用自我相关的、受试者特定的刺激以及行为和神经测量来研究 DID 个体的身份间遗忘症。纳入 46 名匹配参与者的数据； 14 名处于避免创伤状态的 DID 个体、16 名避免创伤的 DID 模拟器和 16 名健康对照。获取并统计分析与三类受试者特定词语相关的反应时间和神经激活模式，即非自相关创伤相关词（NSt）、来自创伤回避身份状态的自相关创伤相关词（St） ），以及来自创伤相关身份状态（XSt）的创伤相关词。我们发现 XSt 和 St 单词之间的反应时间没有差异，并且 XSt 的反应时间比 NSt 更快。诊断DID组的反应时间最长。在诊断为 DID 的组中，额叶和顶叶区域对 XSt 单词的大脑激活增加，而前扣带皮层的大脑活动减少。当前的研究再现并合并了之前的行为报告以及大脑激活模式。我们发现对自我相关的创伤相关知识处理的认知控制增强具有重要的临床意义，并呼吁将“身份间遗忘”重新定义为“身份间回避”。