Marta Méndez-Couz from the Ruhr University Bochum is a postdoc in project A04. The title of her research project is: “Characterization of the Neural Basis Underlying Appetitive Extinction in a Model of Psychosis Disorders”.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the associative learning changes as appetitive extinction learning and renewal effects in a model of psychosis pathologies. Most previous studies on the neural basis of extinction learning have examined the phenomenon of extinction learning from the perspective of aversive conditioning. However, the neural basis underlying this change in response in natural and everyday forms of extinction learning that occurs when a reinforcer is no longer available – so-called appetitive learning – has not yet been clarified.

Indeed, extinction of appetite-based associations is key to understanding clinical disorders such as abnormal persistent appetite, drug associations and some psychotic symptoms where failure of extinction may play an important role. However, empirical evidence is lacking. Therefore, in this project we will investigate the extinction and renewal of conditioned magazine approach responses in the rodent model of psychosis Cacna1c +/-. In addition, an immediate analysis of gene expression in the brain will allow us to link these behavioral responses to an associated transient regional brain change.

Understanding the non-anxiety based extinction learning and renewal effects in both healthy subjects and in a psychosis model and their neuronal basis will contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches for the prevention/treatment of the associated clinical disorders.

The SFB 1280 has set up a budget for its young scientists to realize their own research ideas. We use the “treasure chest” to finance convincing and independent study concepts of our early career researchers.