Autobiographical memory and the self in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficiency

Introduction. - Autism spectrum disorder combines deficits in socio-communication, restricted, repetitive patterns but also disorders of self and cognitive impairments. Among them, people with ASD have autobiographical memory deficits as shown by several recent studies. Autobiographical memory is a critical function supporting socialization but it represents also an important support for the self as illustrated by the model of Self Memory System put forward by Conway. This cognitive model describes the reciprocal relationships between autobiographical memory and self and then provides a relevant theoretical framework to explore disorders of self by examining autobiographical memory deficits. Objective. - To provide a review of autobiographical memory studies in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficiency and to discuss the results in reference to Conway's model of self memory system. Method. - The Medline database was analyzed up to February 2014, crossing the following items autism, autistic, Asperger and episodic memories, autobiographical memory. Results. - Our results show that the semantic component of autobiographical memory is preserved, whereas episodic autobiographical memory is impaired in adults with ASD. These people generate fewer specific memories and less detailed memories of past events. Both episodic memory and future thinking are impaired, this reflecting an alteration of the sense of self, particularly a diminished temporally extended self-awareness. Moreover, memories relating to the self are also less specific and adults with ASD have more difficulty drawing meaning upon these events. Autobiographical memory deficits seem related to impaired Theory of Mind skills and executive dysfunction reported in this disorder. Conclusion. - From a cognitive psychopathological perspective, autobiographical memory deficits found in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual deficiency may account for alterations of both components of self (the working self and the conceptual self) as defined in the self memory system. Our results are also discussed in reference to the main cognitive theories of autism. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All right reserved.