Topic: psychopathologies

Maladaptive negative memories underlie conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This inspired research geared towards memory modulation by direct targeting of the negative memory. However, direct modulation of emotional memories can cause substantial distress and is often ineffective. Given these challenges we aimed to modulate negative memories indirectly. We previously demonstrated indirect modulation of neutral visual memory by utilizing behavioral instructions to intentionally remember or forget verbal content in order to indirectly target an embedded neutral visual memory.

Gestational infection is considered as contributing factor for the development of psychopathologies later in life. The Maternal Immune Activation (MIA) mouse model, based on the systemic administration of the double-stranded RNA analogue Poly(I:C), is used to study the effects of gestational infection on offspring brain function and behavior.Previously, we demonstrated that stimulating pregnant mice with Poly(I:C) not only affects the developing brain in-utero, but also impacts on the structural and functional integrity of the maternal brain to disrupt maternal care behavior postpartum. Howeve