Â{u4A25} Brain on Stress: The Good and the Bad -- Regulation of Excitatory Synapses by Stress Hormones -- Synaptic Stress, Changes in Glutamate Transmission and Circuitry, and Psychopatology -- Dual Regulation of Glutamatergic Transmission and Cognition by Stress in Prefrontal Cortex -- Role of Endocannabinoids in Regulating Glucocorticoid Effects on Memory for Emotionally Arousing Experiences -- Endocannabinoid Signaling & Synaptic Plasticity During Stress -- Stress Induced Metaplasticity at GABA Synapses -- Stress Modulation of Synaptic Plasticity in the Hippocampus -- Neural-Cognitive Effects of Stress in the Hippocampus -- Evolutionary, Historical and Mechanistic Perspectives on How Stress Affects Memory and Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity -- Acute Stress Disrupts Short- and Long-term Patterns of Synaptic Plasticity in Dorsal Hippocampus and Subiculum: Implications for Hippocampal Output and Behaviour -- Synaptic Mechanisms and Cognitive Computations Underlying Stress Effects on Cognitive Function -- Altered GABA Function in Major Depression -- Pathology in Astroglia, Glutamate and GABA in Major Depressive Disorder: Evidence from Studies of Human Postmortem Tissue -- Evidence of Glutamatergic Dysfunction in the Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia -- Metabolic Stress and Neuropsychiatric Disorders -- Using our Understanding of Stress Related Effects on Glutamate Neurotransmission to Guide the Development of Novel Treatment Strategies.

An overview of the ways in which stress affects brain function or synaptic plasticity and can precipitate the onset of neuropsychiatric disorders. Recent research has shown that changes in glutamate/GABA synapses and related pathways are involved in determining whether the effects of a particular stressor will be adaptive or maladaptive. Among the topics discussed are the impact of behavioral stress and glucocorticoids on tripartite glutamate synapses and synaptic transmission, the way that psychiatric drugs affect these same mechanisms, and how the molecular/cellular/functional effects of stress may trigger disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and PTSD. The results presented have been obtained through a range of different and complementary methods including live imaging, electrophysiology, glutamate release from isolated live synaptic terminals, transgenic and animal models, and new behavioral methods.