[Memories of the Future - A Narrative Literature Review of Episodic Future Thinking].

Abstract

In recent years, the question of how we can grasp the ability to plan future events has come to the forefront in light of the retrieval of personal memories from the past. If episodic memory is responsible for envisioning future events, there appears to be an overlap between autobiographical memory and imagining the future. The aim of this current narrative literature review is to present existing theories and research findings, thereby facilitating the development of an organizational framework necessary for the unified investigation of future thinking. This article introduces the neural network processes underlying episodic future thinking, with particular emphasis on the significance of the hippocampus. It outlines the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis, suggesting that episodic memory and episodic future thinking largely rely on similar neural substrates and assumes that a primary function of the episodic memory system is to flexibly reorganize units of individual, contextual memories to simulate possible future events for the individual. The article presents research results related to memory deficits, as it can be presumed that impairment of autobiographical memory in psychiatric disorders also results in impaired episodic future thinking. Future-oriented thoughts serve various functions, such as decision-making, action planning, and emotional regulation. The article also delves into schema theories, as when generating episodic future thoughts, people often activate their general knowledge about their personal future before a specific event occurs. Future thinking is crucial for well-being, goal attainment, aging, optimism, and understanding clinical conditions. How people think about the future can influence their decisions. The elucidation of emotionally futureoriented thoughts, autobiographical knowledge structures, and life-history schemas plays a crucial role in the construction of episodic future thinking. Understanding the role of memory in simulating future events can be important in comprehending the constructive nature of memory and, in general, the functioning of memory systems in diseases, thereby contributing to the specific selection of treatments for these conditions.