A new study reveals that renin-angiotensin system (RAS) genes within the amygdala—the brain region important for traumatic memory processing—express differently when the brain develops fearful memories, such as when people undergo traumatic stress. Researchers have found that medication may potentially be used as a pharmacological blockade of the angiotensin type 1 receptor, thereby improving components of fear memory as assessed by freezing behavior. The research team from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., will present their findings virtually at the American Physiological Society’s (APS) annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2021.