[False memories: an interface between normal memory and pathology]

Abstract

One of the most unexpected aspects of our memory is the existence of false memories. This phenomenon concerns the recall or recognition of events that never took place. Since a few years, the study of false memories became a field of research particularly active in psychology and neuropsychology. The objective of this review is to examine the various studies undertaken on false memories, while being interested more specifically by the influence of age and Alzheimer's disease on their production. We discuss then the mechanisms of production of false memories reviewing the assumptions related to the organization of semantic memory and to executive functions.