News Neuroscience

How people suppress memories may be key to PTSD recovery

A study of 100 people who survived the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks offers new insight

An orange sun reflects light on the smooth plaza in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

For some people who had PTSD after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, recovery came with changes in how their brains handled memories.

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

By Laura Sanders

Recovery from PTSD comes with key changes in the brain’s memory system, a new study finds. These differences were found in the brains of 19 people who developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris — and then recovered over the following years.