Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Sketchpad Series 

Pre-trauma alertness enhances the development of intrusive traumatic memories

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Stas Kozak¹, Yair Bar-Haim^1,2, Nitzan Censor^1,2; ¹School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, ²Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Intrusive visual memories of traumatic events are central to maladaptive memory psychopathology, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To understand the mechanisms underlying intrusive memories, extensive research has been conducted focused on identifying individual traits associated with the risk of developing maladaptive memories. However, little is known about how mental states preceding the traumatic event influence trauma re-experiencing. To address this question, we developed a virtual reality paradigm enabling to study traumatic memories in naturalistic settings. Participants experienced a trauma analogue of a terror attack within an immersive and highly realistic environment, while performing tasks of a waiter in a restaurant. Importantly, to examine the influence of mental states on trauma re-experiencing, prior to the traumatic analogue half of the participants were informed that they are under threat of a terror attack, whereas the other half were not. In the following days, participants recorded their intrusive memories using a digitized online diary. Preliminary results indicate that participants who were under threat reported greater change in negative mood following the traumatic event compared to participants who were not under threat. Importantly, in the following days participants under threat experienced more intrusive visual memories and with greater persistence. These results suggest that elevated mental alertness before experiencing a traumatic event may increase the persistence of maladaptive visual memories, in line with evidence of elevated risk for PTSD among security personnel. This research sheds light on mental state-dependent mechanisms of traumatic memory formation and persistence.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Episodic