Re-experiencing traumatic events is a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive-behavioral therapies seek to eliminate traumatic memories, but these approaches are vulnerable to relapse. New advances in the neurobiology of fear memory promise novel approaches to PTSD treatment, including the erasure of traumatic memories.
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Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Professor of Psychology
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Scientific Council Member (Joined 2017)
2017 Distinguished Investigator Grant
Stephen Maren is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Dr. Maren’s research seeks to understand the neural basis of anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His research on the neurobiology of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction in animals has revealed interactions between a triad of interconnected brain areas, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, that are essential for the regulation of emotional memory. Importantly, stress yields dysfunction in these circuits that both impairs fear extinction and promotes fear relapse, a process that may contribute to the development of PTSD. Dr. Maren is a recipient of the American Psychological Association (APA) Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology (2001) and the D. O. Hebb Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award (2017). He is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science and Past-President of the Pavlovian Society. He has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1995 and was awarded a Distinguished Investigator Grant by the BBRF in 2017.
Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., serves as the President & CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the largest private funder of mental health research grants. Dr. Borenstein developed the Emmy-nominated public television program “Healthy Minds,” and serves as host and executive producer of the series. The program, broadcast nationwide, is available online, and focuses on topics in psychiatry in order to educate the public, reduce stigma and offer a message of hope. Dr. Borenstein served as Editor-in-Chief of Psychiatric News, the newspaper of the American Psychiatric Association from 2012 - 2023.
Dr. Borenstein is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and serves as the Chair of the Section of Psychiatry at the Academy. He also has served as the President of the New York State Psychiatric Association. Dr. Borenstein earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard and his medical degree at New York University.
