Flashbulb memories of Paris attacks: Recall of these events and subjective reliving of these memories in a case with Alzheimer disease

RATIONALE: Flashbulb memories are detailed and vivid memories of attributes of the reception context of surprising and emotionally arousing public events. PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSIS: This paper offers a fine-grained view of flashbulb memories in a patient with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent a directed interview about the 13 November 2015 attacks in Paris. OUTCOMES: Unlike her memory about the date and month of the attacks, the patient provided accurate information about the year, time and places they occurred. The patient also provided accurate information about how she first became aware of the attacks, where she was, with whom, what she was doing, and what time it was when she learned about them. As for the affective characteristics of these memories, she tended to have high ratings of vividness and rehearsal. Negative emotional states and great surprise and novelty were also reported. LESSONS: By assessing the impact of flashbulb memories in this patient with AD, this paper offers a unique view into how such memories may trigger a considerable recall of context as well much subjective reliving.