How Stress Distorts and Disrupts Memory

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children have found that stress disrupts memory specificity by enlarging memory engrams in the brain, leading to generalized aversive memories, a key feature of PTSD. This occurs due to increased endocannabinoid release, which affects interneurons that normally constrain engram size. By blocking endocannabinoid receptors on these interneurons, memory precision was restored in preclinical models, offering potential therapeutic avenues for PTSD treatment.