# The role of memory reactivation in emotional memory suppression and regulation

> **NIH NIH F99** · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $46,520

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Over the course of our lifetimes, we are bound to experience distressing, negative events we would
rather not remember over and over again. Importantly, there is variability in people’s ability to cope with these
memories. How do people regulate negative emotional memories, and why are some people better at dealing
with negative memories than others? For my dissertation, I will investigate these questions through the lens of
cognitive neuroscience, specifically looking at how memory reactivation strength can predict one’s ability to
deal with negative memories. Prior work from the Norman Lab has postulated a U-shaped relationship
between memory reactivation strength and the fate of a memory: Moderate reactivation leads to memory
weakening while strong reactivation leads to strengthening. This proposal examines the impact of memory
reactivation strength in 3 studies: In Study 1, I focus on memory suppression, a coping strategy where people
try to stop an unwanted memory from coming to mind after it has been triggered by a cue in the environment.
I will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to relate the neural measure of memory reactivation
during a memory suppression task to subsequent memory reactivation. In this study, for which data collection
should be completed by the start of the F99 Phase, I will also examine the impact of inter-subject differences in
depression level; prior research has shown that depressed participants appear to demonstrate a negative bias,
which might be relevant to how strongly memories are reactivated. In Study 2, I will shift my focus to study
cognitive reappraisal, an alternative strategy whereby participants reframe the interpretation of a negative
event to mitigate the emotional intensity tied to its memory. Although this strategy requires bringing a
memory to mind so that it can be reinterpreted, the impact of memory reactivation on cognitive reappraisal
has not been well studied. I will use fMRI to investigate this gap in the literature, using data from a study for
which data collection is already underway in the Ritchey Lab. Finally, in Study 3, I will use the eye tracker to
study whether the application of temporally targeted visual stimuli can be used to modify subsequent memory
performance by modulating memory reactivation strength. Prior research has demonstrated the relevance of
using eye-tracking, which has finer temporal resolution and is more accessible than fMRI, to examine memory
reactivation. Put together, this work will provide more insight into how memory reactivation strength
influences the fate of negative memories, specifically after engaging in memory suppression and cognitive
reappraisal. It will also elucidate ways in which memory reactivation can be leveraged and optimized in
different coping strategies for dealing with unwanted, negative memories. The expertise of my sponsor, co-
sponsor, and collaborator will be pivotal to my development as a researcher and the ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10155909
- **Project number:** 1F99NS120647-01
- **Recipient organization:** PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Paula Pacheco Brooks
- **Activity code:** F99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $46,520
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10155909

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10155909, The role of memory reactivation in emotional memory suppression and regulation (1F99NS120647-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10155909. Licensed CC0.

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