Research Bites Podcast
Research Bites Podcast
Kristina Spaulding, PhD, CAAB
#41 - Dr. Lars Schwabe - Stress, Memory, and Behavioral Flexibility
55 minutes Posted Mar 26, 2026 at 1:00 pm.
Welcome to the Podcast
Meet Lars and His Research
Why Study Stress and Memory
How Memory Works
Reconsolidation Explained
Changing Memories After Recall
Stress Biology Basics
Amygdala and Emotional Encoding
What Stress Enhances or Impairs
Working Memory in Practice
Context vs Cue Learning
Acute vs Chronic Stress
Stress and Memory Retrieval
Habits vs Goal Directed Actions
Why Habits Persist
Leash Reactivity Example
Do Animals Have Goals
Research Bites Break
Defining Goal Directed
Habits and Extinction
Brain Circuits Behind
Stress and Flexibility
Memory Flexibility Defined
Mental Health Parallels
Building Resilience Training
Learned Helplessness Control
Why Translation Is Hard
Future Research Questions
Closing and Sign Off
0:00
55:36
Download MP3
Show notes
In this episode of the Research Bites Podcast, Dr. Kristina Spaulding talks with Dr. Lars Schwabe about what happens to learning and memory when the brain is under stress—and why those changes matter for behavior, training, and mental health. They begin by unpacking how memory works in the first place, walking through the stages of encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. From there, they explore the still-debated idea of reconsolidation—the possibility that when memories are retrieved, they m...