Shocking! Chronic stress can even alter memories, brain conditioning
Amidst chasing deadlines at work and trying to balance personal commitments, stress has become a constant companion for many. While several studies have linked chronic stress to various health issues, new data suggests that it may even affect how you remember things.
Yes, that's right. A recent study suggests that stress not only changes how we feel but also reshapes how we remember.
A study led by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children has uncovered that stress changes how our brain encodes and retrieves aversive memories. This could be a breakthrough in restoring appropriate memory specificity in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings of the study are published in the
Cell
.
Memories and stress
Want to keep your mind sharp?
If you happen to stumble during a presentation, the chances are you might feel stressed the next time. This is because your brain associates your next presentation with that one poor and aversive experience. This type of stress is tied to one memory.
The researchers also found that stress from traumatic events like violence or generalized anxiety disorder can lead to stress-induced aversive memory generalization, where fireworks or car backfires can trigger seemingly unrelated fearful memories and derail your entire day.
In PTSD, it can be worse.
'A little bit of stress is good, it's what gets you up in the morning when your alarm goes off, but too much stress can be debilitating. We know that people with PTSD show fearful responses to safe situations or environments, and have found a way to limit this fearful response to specific situations and potentially reduce the harmful effects of PTSD,' Dr. Sheena Josselyn, senior scientist in the Neurosciences & Mental Health program, said.
Stress-induced memory generalization
To understand how this generalization of stress with traumatic incidence forms, the researchers created a preclinical model in which subjects were exposed to mild stress before an aversive event. This triggered non-specific fearful memories that extended beyond the original trauma, much like PTSD symptoms in humans.
They studied memory engrams, which are clusters of neurons that store specific memories within the brain.
Normally sparse, these engrams became significantly larger under stress, involving more neurons and producing fear even in safe environments.
They found that
stress
can cause an increase in the release of endocannabinoids (endogenous cannabinoids), which are naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that normally help shape specific memories. When stressed, too many of these are released, overwhelming the brain's interneurons that usually contain the memory of a specific engram.
'Endocannabinoid receptors function like a velvet rope at an exclusive club. When stress induces the release of too many endocannabinoids, the velvet rope falls, causing more generalized aversive fearful memories to form. By blocking these endocannabinoid receptors just on these specific interneurons, we could essentially prevent one of the most debilitating symptoms of PTSD,' Josselyn explained.
Link between stress and the developing brain
Previous research found that the developing brain forms larger, more generalized memory engrams than the adult brain, similar to those triggered by stress. 'The many biological functions and processes that make up the complexity of human memory are still being uncovered. We hope that as we better understand human memory, we can inform real-world therapies for those with various psychiatric and other brain disorders throughout their lifespan,' Dr.
Paul Frankland added.
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Shocking! Chronic stress can even alter memories, brain conditioning
A recent study reveals that stress significantly alters memory encoding and retrieval, potentially exacerbating conditions like PTSD. Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children discovered that stress triggers the release of endocannabinoids, enlarging memory engrams and causing fear generalization. This breakthrough offers hope for targeted therapies by blocking endocannabinoid receptors, potentially restoring memory specificity and alleviating debilitating PTSD symptoms. Amidst chasing deadlines at work and trying to balance personal commitments, stress has become a constant companion for many. While several studies have linked chronic stress to various health issues, new data suggests that it may even affect how you remember things. Yes, that's right. A recent study suggests that stress not only changes how we feel but also reshapes how we remember. A study led by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children has uncovered that stress changes how our brain encodes and retrieves aversive memories. This could be a breakthrough in restoring appropriate memory specificity in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings of the study are published in the Cell . Memories and stress Want to keep your mind sharp? If you happen to stumble during a presentation, the chances are you might feel stressed the next time. This is because your brain associates your next presentation with that one poor and aversive experience. This type of stress is tied to one memory. The researchers also found that stress from traumatic events like violence or generalized anxiety disorder can lead to stress-induced aversive memory generalization, where fireworks or car backfires can trigger seemingly unrelated fearful memories and derail your entire day. In PTSD, it can be worse. 'A little bit of stress is good, it's what gets you up in the morning when your alarm goes off, but too much stress can be debilitating. We know that people with PTSD show fearful responses to safe situations or environments, and have found a way to limit this fearful response to specific situations and potentially reduce the harmful effects of PTSD,' Dr. Sheena Josselyn, senior scientist in the Neurosciences & Mental Health program, said. Stress-induced memory generalization To understand how this generalization of stress with traumatic incidence forms, the researchers created a preclinical model in which subjects were exposed to mild stress before an aversive event. This triggered non-specific fearful memories that extended beyond the original trauma, much like PTSD symptoms in humans. They studied memory engrams, which are clusters of neurons that store specific memories within the brain. Normally sparse, these engrams became significantly larger under stress, involving more neurons and producing fear even in safe environments. They found that stress can cause an increase in the release of endocannabinoids (endogenous cannabinoids), which are naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that normally help shape specific memories. When stressed, too many of these are released, overwhelming the brain's interneurons that usually contain the memory of a specific engram. 'Endocannabinoid receptors function like a velvet rope at an exclusive club. When stress induces the release of too many endocannabinoids, the velvet rope falls, causing more generalized aversive fearful memories to form. By blocking these endocannabinoid receptors just on these specific interneurons, we could essentially prevent one of the most debilitating symptoms of PTSD,' Josselyn explained. Link between stress and the developing brain Previous research found that the developing brain forms larger, more generalized memory engrams than the adult brain, similar to those triggered by stress. 'The many biological functions and processes that make up the complexity of human memory are still being uncovered. We hope that as we better understand human memory, we can inform real-world therapies for those with various psychiatric and other brain disorders throughout their lifespan,' Dr. Paul Frankland added.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Psychiatrist explains stalking has serious psychological effects on women: Here's everything you should know
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He said that in extreme situations, stalking results in suicidal thoughts or attempts, and enhanced substance use may become a maladaptive coping strategy. However, the effects are beyond psychological health. Dr Kumar said, 'Victims will change their lives — moving residences, leaving jobs or school, and avoiding social contact — to remain safe. Physically, symptoms such as headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, palpitations of the heart, and persistent fatigue are common due to prolonged stress. Socially, victims can be isolated, become distrustful, and withdraw from friends and family members.' According to Dr Kumar, stalking 'is thus a prolonged mode of psychological trauma' — tearing down victims' sense of safety, health, and identity: 'Healing demands trauma-informed mental health care, legal protections, and community validation to assist women in beginning to rebuild their lives.' Among the most important consequences is the creation of PTSD: women experience flashbacks, emotional numbing, avoidance, and intrusive recollections. Depression as well as guilt, shame, and self-blame are also prevalent. (Freepik) Even women in leadership are not exempt Asma Kahali, managing director, Rimbaa Oak Global Pte Ltd, Singapore added that stalking persists cloaked in digital anonymity, emboldened by legal ambiguity, and perpetuated by a culture that too often trivialises the terror it induces. She said, 'To the unacquainted, stalking may appear merely as unwanted attention; but for the women who endure it, it is an insidious psychological siege — a sustained erosion of autonomy, safety, and sanity. The effect is not merely episodic fear, but a chronic state of hyper-vigilance that corrodes mental equilibrium. The mind begins to rehearse worst-case scenarios, sleep becomes fragmented, and self-worth dissolves under the weight of constant surveillance.' She added that stalking does not require physical proximity to be pernicious: 'Today's cyberstalkers wield social media as both weapon and window, constructing a panopticon where the victim becomes simultaneously visible and vulnerable. Women in leadership — like myself — are not exempt; in fact, the visibility of professional success often invites scrutiny laced with threat, camouflaged as curiosity.' According to Asma, what is perhaps most psychologically devastating is the erosion of trust — trust in public spaces, in legal institutions, even in one's own perception of safety. 'The woman is compelled to recalibrate her life, her routines, even her aspirations, in an exhausting attempt to pre-empt further violation,' she said. 'The imperative now is twofold: sensitise society to the real trauma stalking incurs, and equip our institutions — judicial, technological, and educational — to respond with the gravity it deserves. Protection must be proactive, not posthumous. 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News18
4 days ago
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