In this inaugural post of Donders Beauty of the Brain Series, a series where we will highlight images from neuroscience related research, we showcase the hippocampus (a brain region involved in memory and emotion) of a stress-resilient mouse. The green represents all the neurons, while orange indicates those specifically activated after a stressful experience that contributed to the formation of the fear memory. The red neurons were activated when the fear memory was recalled at a later point in time.

Intriguingly, the distribution pattern of these memory-related neurons differs between resilient mice and those that developed PTSD-like symptoms following the stressful event. This finding is one piece of the puzzle in understanding the mechanisms of stress resilience. The ultimate goal is to leverage these insights to improve PTSD prevention and treatment.

To learn more, check out this related paper: Hippocampal Trauma Memory Processing Conveying Susceptibility to Traumatic Stress

Images and research courtesy of Dr. Marloes Henckens.

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