We are glad to announce that Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI) will be conducting a special colloquium on “This is your brain under stress !” on 22 Mar 2024, 12 noon at Seminar Hall, Narendrapur Campus.

Speaker : Dr. Sumantra Chattarji, tcg-CREST, Kolkata
Co-ordinator: Prof. Abhijit Chakrabarti

Abstract

Emotionally salient life experiences are often well remembered, and a brain structure called the amygdala plays a pivotal role in this process. But the efficient encoding of emotional memories can have a downside – severe stress often turns them into a source of chronic anxiety. In this talk I'll describe studies from my laboratory that have identified neural correlates of stress-induced modulation of amygdala structure and function – from cellular mechanisms to their behavioural consequences. The unique features of stress-induced plasticity in the amygdala, in association with changes in other brain regions, could have long-term consequences for cognitive performance and pathological anxiety exhibited in people suffering from psychiatric disorders.