The M2 project is a collaboration with the lab of Dr. Krugers at the UvA. Together, they will investigate how stress hormone levels affect the synaptic and molecular properties of engram neurons, and thereby the specificity of a memory.
Stressful experiences are generally remembered well, but such memories are often less precise, which results in memory generalization (recall of the stressful event when this is not relevant). This effect is mediated by stress-hormones. We will investigate how stress-hormones enhance memory generalization by studying the properties of the specific cells in the brain that store a memory, so-called engram cells. For this, we examine their specific cellular properties, their connections, and how we can reverse the effects of stress hormones to prevent memory generalization.