How does stress influence what we remember—and what we forget? This question will be at the centre of a Scientific Evening taking place on 1 October 2026 at Vilnius University and online.
The keynote lecture “Memory under Stress” will be delivered by Dr. Oliver T. Wolf, Professor of Psychology at Ruhr University Bochum and a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Drawing on experimental research, he will explain how stress hormones such as noradrenaline and cortisol affect brain regions involved in memory, including the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The lecture will explore why stressful experiences can remain particularly vivid, while information learned for an exam may become more difficult to recall. It will also examine the adaptive role of the acute stress response and its potential costs, including increased vulnerability to mental health disorders in susceptible individuals.
The programme will also feature two presentations by researchers from Vilnius University. Prof. Dr. Ramunė Grikšienė will explore how stress and sex hormones shape emotional, cognitive and behavioral responses to stressful situations, offering a neurobiological perspective on individual differences in stress perception and adaptation. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Arūnas Žiedelis will examine employee burnout, focusing on its symptoms, prevalence and causes, as well as the role of workplace conditions and organizational factors. His presentation will also challenge common misconceptions that burnout affects everyone or is caused mainly by individual shortcomings.
The scientific evening will examine stress from complementary perspectives: how it affects the brain and memory, why people respond to stress differently, and how prolonged workplace stress can contribute to burnout.
Date and time: 1 October 2026, 17:00 (EEST, UTC+3)
Venue: Online / Vilnius University, Faculty of Philosophy, Room 306, Universiteto g. 9, Vilnius, Lithuania
Language: English
Participation: Free participation open to students, researchers and anyone interested with registration - Registration link
Further information about the event can be found on the Baltic-German University Liaison Office’s homepage: www.hochschulkontor.lv/en
In case of questions please do not hesitate to contact the Baltic-German University Liaison Office:
E-mail:
Phone: +371 67286033
