Shaping Memories Via Stress: A Synaptic Engram Perspective

Niek Brosens, Sylvie L Lesuis, Priyanka Rao-Ruiz, Michel C van den Oever, Harm J Krugers

Research output: Contribution to JournalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Stress modulates the activity of various memory systems and can thereby guide behavioral interaction with the environment in an adaptive or maladaptive manner. At the cellular level, a large body of evidence indicates that (nor)adrenaline and glucocorticoid release induced by acute stress exposure affects synapse function and synaptic plasticity, which are critical substrates for learning and memory. Recent evidence suggests that memories are supported in the brain by sparsely distributed neurons within networks, termed engram cell ensembles. While the physiological and molecular effects of stress on the synapse are increasingly well characterized, how these synaptic modifications shape the multiscale dynamics of engram cell ensembles is still poorly understood. In this review, we discuss and integrate recent information on how acute stress affects synapse function and how this may alter engram cell ensembles and their synaptic connectivity to shape memory strength and memory precision. We provide a mechanistic framework of a synaptic engram under stress and put forward outstanding questions that address knowledge gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie stress-induced memory modulation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)721-731
JournalBiological psychiatry
Volume95
Issue number8
Early online date15 Nov 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2023 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Funding

NB is supported by Alzheimer Nederland (Grant No. WE.09-2022-01 ); PR-R is supported by NWO (Dutch Research Council) VIDI (Grant No. VI.vidi.213.062 ) and NWO gravitation : BRAINSCAPES: A road map from Neurogenetics to Neurobiology (Grant No. 024.004.012 ). MCvdO is supported by NWO gravitation: BRAINSCAPES: A road map from Neurogenetics to Neurobiology (Grant No. 024.004.012). HJK is supported by Alzheimer Nederland (Grant No. WE.03-2017-01), Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (Grant No. 15PG20 ), Nuffic (Grant No. VGP21/00015 ), and ZonMW (MODEM). SLL is supported by ZonMW (Memorabel, Grant No. 10510022110011 ).

FundersFunder number
VIDI024.004.012, WE.03-2017-01
Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher EducationVGP21/00015
ZonMw10510022110011
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Alzheimer NederlandWE.09-2022-01
Amsterdam Brain and Cognition15PG20

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