Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nicole L. Zabik, Craig Peters, Allesandra Iadipaolo, Hilary A. Marusak, Christine A. Rabinak
Summary: This study explores the neural mechanisms underlying fear renewal and designs a novel immersive Pavlovian fear acquisition, extinction, recall, and renewal paradigm. It elicited greater corticolimbic activation in healthy adults and suggests that combining immersive Pavlovian fear conditioning with innately fearful stimuli may improve clinical interventions for fear-based disorders.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Weronika Szadzinska, Konrad Danielewski, Kacper Kondrakiewicz, Karolina Andraka, Evgeni Nikolaev, Marta Mikosz, Ewelina Knapska
Summary: Fear extinction training gradually changes the vHIP-PL connectivity, allowing for fear suppression. In the absence of fear suppression from the vHIP, signals from the BL play a dominant role, resulting in heightened fear levels.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Christine Stubbendorff, Carl W. Stevenson
Summary: Research has shown that dopamine plays a crucial role in regulating various contextual fear processes, although the related neurochemical mechanisms are still not fully understood. Understanding how dopamine regulates contextual fear can provide novel insights into the neurochemical modulation of neural circuit function underlying memory processing.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Anabel M. M. Miguelez Fernandez, Hanna M. Molla, Daniel R. Thomases, Kuei Y. Tseng
Summary: The study shows that disruption of prefrontal cortex (PFC) alpha 7nAChR signaling impacts hippocampal and amygdalar transmission, with significant effects observed in adult rats. Prefrontal infusion of MLA affects trace fear-conditioning and extinction in an age-dependent manner, potentially due to the late-adolescent maturation of ventral hippocampal-PFC functional connectivity and its modulation by alpha 7nAChR signaling.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giovanna Traina, Jack A. Tuszynski
Summary: This review provides an overview of the role that classical neurotransmitters play in the contextual conditioning model of fear and PTSD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elisabetta Baldi, Alessia Costa, Barbara Rani, Maria Beatrice Passani, Patrizio Blandina, Adele Romano, Gustavo Provensi
Summary: Exposure-based therapy is the main approach for treating pathological fear and anxiety symptoms; however, relapses are common due to the demanding and lengthy process. Combining cognitive therapy with pharmacological agents may improve efficacy. Oxytocin has shown anxiolytic effects and may strengthen inhibitory associations in fear extinction, with receptors found in critical brain regions for fear behavior.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Ying Li, Weijia Zhi, Bing Qi, Lifeng Wang, Xiangjun Hu
Summary: Fear is an adaptive response to danger and fear memory plays a crucial role in warning individuals in dangerous situations, which is essential for survival. Abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. The study of fear has advanced from brain regions to neural circuits and molecular mechanisms. This article outlines the basics of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, aiming to provide new insights for future research on fear emotions and potential treatments for trauma and fear-related disorders.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Michael S. Totty, Stephen Maren
Summary: This article reviews the oscillatory correlates of fear and anxiety, with a focus on theta and gamma rhythms. The study finds that hippocampal network oscillations play a role in integrating spatial and motivational information during anxiety states, and these oscillations also synchronize different brain structures to guide adaptive behavior. Additionally, theta and gamma oscillations are important in the encoding and retrieval of fear memories.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hee Ra Park, Mudan Cai, Eun Jin Yang
Summary: Fear memory is crucial for avoiding harm, but excessive consolidation can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety-related disorders. Dysregulation of specific brain regions and neural circuits, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex, has been observed in patients with these disorders. These regions are important for learning, memory, and integration, and play a significant role in neural plasticity and structural remodeling in psychiatric disorders.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Augustin C. Hennings, Samuel E. Cooper, Jarrod A. Lewis-Peacock, Joseph E. Dunsmoor
Summary: This review suggests that reliance on traditional univariate analysis of fMRI has hindered translational neuroimaging efforts in the field of threat conditioning and extinction. Multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA) provide a more sensitive analysis tool by leveraging the information present in spatial patterns of activity. The use of MVPA has successfully bridged rodent models of amygdala, hippocampus, and mPFC function during Pavlovian learning in human fMRI studies.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fanny Demars, Ralitsa Todorova, Gabriel Makdah, Antonin Forestier, Marie-Odile Krebs, Bill P. Godsil, Therese M. Jay, Sidney I. Wiener, Marco N. Pompili
Summary: Current treatments for trauma-related disorders are ineffective for many patients. This study modeled individual differences in post-therapy fear relapse using an ethologically relevant trauma recovery paradigm. The results suggest that post-trauma behavioral phenotypes and gene expression patterns are associated with fear relapse susceptibility, which may be important for future treatment development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seung-Woo Jin, Inah Lee
Summary: The study found that in goal-directed tasks, the intermediate region of the hippocampus plays a key role in representing changes in the motivational significance of a place, especially when the motivational significance decreases, place cells remap and dynamically shift towards high-value locations.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nicole L. Zabik, Christine A. Rabinak, Craig A. Peters, Allesandra Iadipaolo
Summary: The study found that acute, low-dose THC can enhance activation of the cortico-limbic circuit in individuals with PTSD during fear extinction. However, this effect does not occur in individuals without trauma exposure and does not affect behavioral fear indices such as extinction learning, recall, and fear renewal.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Rawan AlSubaie, Ryan W. S. Wee, Anne Ritoux, Karyna Mishchanchuk, Jessica Passlack, Daniel Regester, Andrew F. MacAskill
Summary: Projections from the basal amygdala to the ventral hippocampus provide information about rewarding or threatening stimuli to support appropriate behavior. These projections consist of both excitatory and inhibitory inputs that control the activity of downstream neurons, ultimately affecting goal-directed behavior.
Review
Neurosciences
Ying Liu, Shuai Ye, Xin-Ni Li, Wei-Guang Li
Summary: Fear extinction is a biological process that reduces learned fear behavior without reinforcement, allowing organisms to adapt to changing situations. Recent research has shown that extinction memory is more forgettable than the original fear memory, but the cellular and synaptic traces of this extinction memory in the brain are still unclear. This review discusses the latest advances in engram circuits and neural connectivity plasticity for fear extinction, aiming to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic competition between fear and extinction memories in the control of conditioned fear responses.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Lisa J. Pijnenburg, Anais Kaplun, Lieuwe de Haan, Magdalena Janecka, Lauren Smith, Abraham Reichenberg, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L. W. Bokde, Erin Burke Quinlan, Sylvane Desrivieres, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Bernd Ittermann, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomas Paus, Luise Poustka, Sarah Hohmann, Sabina Millenet, Juliane H. Froehner, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter Schumann, Eva Velthorst
Summary: This study suggests that autistic traits are associated with less frequent and lower quantity of alcohol use during adolescence. Adolescents with higher levels of autistic traits, including social impairment, detail orientation, and anxiety, were found to consume less alcohol and engage in less binge drinking.
EUROPEAN CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Yan Sun, Tianye Jia, Edward D. Barker, Di Chen, Zuo Zhang, Jiayuan Xu, Suhua Chang, Guangdong Zhou, Yun Liu, Nicole Tay, Qiang Luo, Xiao Chang, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L. W. Bokde, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Andreas Heinz, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomas Paus, Luise Poustka, Sarah Hohmann, Sabina Millenet, Juliane H. Froehner, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Lin Lu, Jie Shi, Gunter Schumann, Sylvane Desrivieres
Summary: Negative life events (NLEs) increase the risk for externalizing behaviors (EBs) and internalizing behaviors (IBs). DNA methylation associated with behavioral problems may reflect this risk and long-lasting effects of NLEs.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Helene Vulser, Herve S. Lemaitre, Stella Guldner, Pauline Bezivin-Frere, Martin Loffler, Anna S. Sarvasmaa, Jessica Massicotte-Marquez, Eric Artiges, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Irina Filippi, Ruben Miranda, Argyris Stringaris, Betteke Maria van Noort, Jani Penttila, Yvonne Grimmer, Andreas Becker, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L. W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivieres, Juliane H. Frohner, Hugh Garavan, Antoine Grigis, Penny A. Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Luise Poustka, Michael N. Smolka, Philip A. Spechler, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter Schumann, Herta Flor, Jean-Luc Martinot, Frauke Nees
Summary: Adolescence is a critical period for circadian rhythm, with a shift toward eveningness. Eveningness in adolescence predicts later onset of depressive symptoms. This study investigates the structural variations associated with chronotype in early adolescence and its contribution to the development of depressive symptoms.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Raka Maitra, Charlotte M. Horne, Owen O'Daly, Evangelos Papanastasiou, Christian Gaser, Tobias Banaschewski, Gareth J. Barker, Arun L. W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivieres, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Ruediger Bruehl, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Herve Lemaitre, Tomas Paus, Luise Poustka, Sarah Hohmann, Sabina Millenet, Juliane H. Froehner, Lauren Robinson, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Jeanne M. Winterer, Robert Whelan, Erin Burke Quinlan, Alex Ing, Gunter Schumann, Sukhi Shergill
Summary: The study found that Psychotic Like Experiences (PLEs) in adolescents are associated with changes in cortical gyrification, indicating abnormal neurodevelopment. Adolescents with higher PLEs had lower cortical gyrification in the fronto-temporal regions in the left hemisphere, and higher cortical gyrification in the right parietal cortex during late adolescence. The study also revealed that adolescents with high PLEs were 5.6 times more likely to develop psychosis by age 23.
SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhipeng Cao, Renata B. Cupertino, Jonatan Ottino-Gonzalez, Alistair Murphy, Devarshi Pancholi, Anthony Juliano, Bader Chaarani, Matthew Albaugh, Dekang Yuan, Nathan Schwab, James Stafford, Anna E. Goudriaan, Kent Hutchison, Chiang-Shan R. Li, Maartje Luijten, Martine Groefsema, Reza Momenan, Lianne Schmaal, Rajita Sinha, Ruth J. van Holst, Dick J. Veltman, Reinout W. Wiers, Bernice Porjesz, Tristram Lett, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L. W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivieres, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Rudiger Bruehl, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomas Paus, Luise Poustka, Sarah Hohmann, Sabina Millenet, Juliane H. Froehner, Lauren Robinson, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Jeanne Winterer, Gunter Schumann, Robert Whelan, Ravi R. Bhatt, Alyssa Zhu, Patricia Conrod, Neda Jahanshad, Paul M. Thompson, Scott Mackey, Hugh Garavan
Summary: In this study, researchers identified a shared spatial pattern of cortical thickness (CT) in normative development and several psychiatric and neurological disorders. Further analysis revealed significant spatial correspondences between this pattern and widespread lower CT observed in psychiatric disorders, as well as the spatial pattern of normative maturation and aging. Transcriptional analysis also identified a set of genes closely related to this pattern, indicating disrupted neurodevelopment in the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases emerging during adolescence.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alice Chavanne, Marie Laure Paillere Martinot, Jani Penttilae, Yvonne Grimmer, Patricia Conrod, Argyris Stringaris, Betteke van Noort, Corinna Isensee, Andreas Becker, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L. W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivieres, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Ruediger Bruehl, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomas Paus, Luise Poustka, Sarah S. Hohmann, Sabina Millenet, Juliane Froehner, Michael Smolka, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter Schumann, Jean-Luc Martinot, Eric Artiges
Summary: Recent studies have found MRI correlates of prospective anxiety symptoms in youth, but their predictive value is still uncertain. This study used machine-learning algorithms to predict clinical anxiety using MRI data and psychometric scores. The results showed that psychometric features were the main predictors for overall anxiety disorders, while MRI regional volumes were more valuable for predicting GAD. In conclusion, future clinical anxiety in non-anxious 14-year-old adolescents can be individually predicted using psychometric features, and including neuroanatomical data improves the prediction of GAD.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roberto Pagano, Ahmad Salamian, Janusz Zielinski, Anna Beroun, Maria Nalberczak-Skora, Edyta Skonieczna, Anna Caly, Nicole Tay, Tobias Banaschewski, Sylvane Desrivieres, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Andreas Heinz, Ruediger Bruehl, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Luise Poustka, Sarah Hohmann, Juliane H. Froehner, Michael N. Smolka, Nilakshi Vaidya, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Katarzyna Kalita, Haruhiko Bito, Christian P. Mueller, Gunter Schumann, Hiroyuki Okuno, Kasia Radwanska
Summary: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic and fatal disease with a high likelihood of relapse. This study identifies a mechanism involving the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc)/ARG3.1-dependent plasticity of amygdala synapses that selectively controls cue-induced alcohol relapse and AUD symptoms. In humans, single nucleotide polymorphisms and methylation in the ARC gene were associated with amygdala size and frequency of alcohol use, even at the onset of regular consumption. Targeting Arc during alcohol cue exposure may provide a new approach for relapse prevention.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Harshvardhan Gazula, Kelly Rootes-Murdy, Bharath Holla, Sunitha Basodi, Zuo Zhang, Eric Verner, Ross Kelly, Pratima Murthy, Amit Chakrabarti, Debasish Basu, Subodh Bhagyalakshmi Nanjayya, Rajkumar Lenin Singh, Roshan Lourembam Singh, Kartik Kalyanram, Kamakshi Kartik, Kumaran Kalyanaraman, Krishnaveni Ghattu, Rebecca Kuriyan, Sunita Simon Kurpad, Gareth J. Barker, Rose Dawn Bharath, Sylvane Desrivieres, Meera Purushottam, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Eesha Sharma, Matthew Hickman, Mireille Toledano, Nilakshi Vaidya, Tobias Banaschewski, Arun L. W. Bokde, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh Garavan, Penny Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Rudiger Bruhl, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Eric Artiges, Frauke Nees, Tomas Paus, Luise Poustka, Juliane H. Frohner, Lauren Robinson, Michael N. Smolka, Henrik Walter, Jeanne Winterer, Robert Whelan, Jessica A. Turner, Anand D. Sarwate, Sergey M. Plis, Vivek Benegal, Gunter Schumann, Vince D. Calhoun
Summary: With the growth of decentralized/federated analysis approaches in neuroimaging, the opportunities to study brain disorders using data from multiple sites has grown multi-fold. One such initiative is the Neuromark, a fully automated spatially constrained independent component analysis (ICA) that is used to link brain network abnormalities among different datasets, studies, and disorders while leveraging subject-specific networks.
Article
Anesthesiology
Ana Maria Gonzalez-Roldan, Smadar Bustan, Sandra Kamping, Herta Flor, Fernand Anton
Summary: This study investigated whether experimentally induced pain-related suffering leads individuals to focus more on themselves and less on the external world. The results showed that experiencing prolonged and intense painful stimuli leads to attentional shifts towards oneself and reduced focus on others. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the social dynamics of pain and suffering.
Article
Neurosciences
Nathalie E. Holz, Mariam Zabihi, Seyed Mostafa Kia, Maximillian Monninger, Pascal-M. Aggensteiner, Sebastian Siehl, Dorothea L. Floris, Arun L. W. Bokde, Sylvane Desrivieres, Herta Flor, Antoine Grigis, Hugh H. Garavan, Penny N. Gowland, Andreas Heinz, Ruediger Bruehl, Jean-Luc Martinot, Marie-Laure Paillere Martinot, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, Tomas Paus, Luise K. Poustka, Juliane H. Froehner, Michael N. Smolka, Nilakshi Vaidya, Henrik Walter, Robert Whelan, Gunter H. Schumann, Andreas N. Meyer-Lindenberg, Daniel Brandeis, Jan K. Buitelaar, Frauke F. Nees, Christian Beckmann, IMAGEN Consortium, Tobias Banaschewski, Andre F. Marquand
Summary: In a longitudinal study, Holz et al. found that adversity leads to widespread structural brain changes. These changes were replicated in different cohorts and predicted anxiety in individuals. The study highlights the importance of considering individual-level factors in understanding the impact of adversity on brain structure and mental health.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Anesthesiology
Herta Flor, Koichi Noguchi, Rolf-Detlef Treede, Dennis C. Turk
Summary: The decades since the inauguration of the International Association for the Study of Pain have witnessed significant progress in pain research, including advancements in scientific concepts, new technologies, and approaches, which have positively influenced pain management and education.
Article
Psychology, Mathematical
Stella Guldner, Nadine Lavan, Clare Lally, Lisa Wittmann, Frauke Nees, Herta Flor, Carolyn McGettigan
Summary: The voice is a variable and dynamic social tool with functional relevance for self-presentation. Intentional voice modulations can effectively evoke trait impressions in listeners, which can be recognized and influence social interactions.
PSYCHONOMIC BULLETIN & REVIEW
(2023)
Review
Biology
Deepti Mittal, Rebecca Mease, Thomas Kuner, Herta Flor, Rohini Kuner, Jamila Andoh
Summary: The importance of effective research data management (RDM) strategies grows with advancements in data acquisition techniques and research methods, especially in neuroscience. However, large-scale neuroscience research consortia face challenges in implementing a coherent RDM plan due to the diverse research strategies and requirements they encompass. This article presents a concrete RDM strategy implemented for the Heidelberg Collaborative Research Consortium, focusing on sustainable solutions that incentivize incremental RDM while respecting research-specific requirements.
Article
Neuroimaging
Benjamin Mosch, Verena Hagena, Stephan Herpertz, Michaela Ruttorf, Martin Diers
Summary: The perceived lack of control over pain experience is a major contributor to agony and impaired quality of life in chronic pain patients, such as fibromyalgia (FM). This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how perceived control affects pain perception and the underlying neural mechanisms. The results showed that FM patients failed to activate brain areas involved in pain modulation and reappraisal processes, and exhibited disrupted functional connectivity and decreased gray matter volumes compared to healthy controls. These findings provide evidence for extensive impairments in pain modulation in FM.
NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Michaela Ruttorf, Zohar Tal, Lenia Amaral, Fang Fang, Yanchao Bi, Jorge Almeida
Summary: Congenital sensory deprivation induces significant changes in the brain's structure and function, leading to cross-modal plasticity and other neuroplastic alterations. In individuals with congenital deafness, there are observable changes in the visual and auditory networks, with the addition of a fourth community consisting of certain brain regions. These findings highlight the dynamic nature of the sensory systems and suggest that subcortical thalamic nuclei may play a role in rerouting visual information to the auditory cortex under congenital deafness.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
