Selective forgetting of self-threatening statements: Mnemic neglect for dementia information in people with mild dementia.

The MNE occurs among people with dementia. The selective forgetting of highly negative, self-referent statements serves to protect the self against the threat that dementia represents. Given the similarities between the MNE and the clinical phenomenon of repression, the findings may mark psychological processes that are implicated in the acceptance (or lack thereof) of a dementia diagnosis.