A01 A02 A03 A04 A05 A06 A07 A09 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A18 A19 A21 F01 F02 INF Ö

A02 – Neural mechanisms of context generalization

Nikolai Axmacher

While extinction is context-dependent, acquisition contexts generalize easily. Here, we investigate how context generalization is controlled by neural activity in core regions of the extinction network. The generalization and distinctiveness of neural context representations will be assessed via multivariate analysis methods. Combining simultaneous EEG/fMRI recordings in healthy participants with intracranial EEG and single-unit recordings in epilepsy patients, we will identify the neural mechanisms that control if contexts generalize or stay distinct, and if renewal or extinction retrieval occurs. Our data will provide a unique bridge between human neuroimaging and animal electrophysiology studies of extinction learning.

Guiding questions of A02:

  • How are specific contexts represented in the human brain across several levels of brain organization?
  • How do the neural representations of contexts change during initial acquisition and extinction learning?
  • Is the generalization or distinctiveness of context representations during acquisition and extinction predictive of renewal or extinction retrieval?
  • Which neural mechanisms support these representational changes?
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Nikolai Axmacher

Projektleiter A02, A03, F02

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Antoine Bouyeure

Postdoc A02

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

10 project-relevant publications

Bierbrauer A, Fellner M-C, Heinen R, Wolf OT, Axmacher N (2021) The memory trace of a stressful episode. Curr Biol 31:5204-5213.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.09.044

Bouyeure A, Pacheco D, Fellner M-C, Jacob G, Kobelt M, Rose J, Axmacher N (2025) Distinct representational properties of cues and contexts shape fear learning and extinction. bioRxiv:2024.12.16.628638. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.16.628638

Chen S, Tan Z, Xia W, Gomes CA, Zhang X, Zhou W, Liang S, Axmacher N, Wang L (2021) Theta oscillations synchronize human medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala during fear learning. Sci Adv 7. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf4198

Costa M, Lozano-Soldevilla D, Gil-Nagel A, Toledano R, Oehrn CR, Kunz L, Yebra M, Mendez-Bertolo C, Stieglitz L, Sarnthein J, Axmacher N, Moratti S, Strange BA (2022) Aversive memory formation in humans involves an amygdala-hippocampus phase code. Nat Commun 13:6403. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33828-2

Kobelt M, Waldhauser GT, Rupietta A, Heinen R, Rau EMB, Kessler H, Axmacher N (2024) The memory trace of an intrusive trauma-analog episode. Curr Biol 34:1657-1669.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.005

Kunz L, Wang L, Lachner-Piza D, Zhang H, Brandt A, Dümpelmann M, Reinacher PC, Coenen VA, Chen D, Wang WX, Zhou W, Liang S, Grewe P, Bien CG, Bierbrauer A, Navarro Schröder T, Schulze-Bonhage A, Axmacher N (2019) Hippocampal theta phases organize the reactivation of large-scale electrophysiological representations during goal-directed navigation. Sci Adv 5:eaav8192. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav8192

Pacheco Estefan D, Zucca R, Arsiwalla X, Principe A, Zhang H, Rocamora R, Axmacher N, Verschure PFMJ (2021) Volitional learning promotes theta phase coding in the human hippocampus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 118(10): e2021238118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2021238118

Pacheco, Estefan D, Bouyeure, A, Jacobs G, Fellner MC, Lehongre K, Lambrecq V, Frazzini V, Navarro V, Güntürkün O, Shen L, Yang J, Han B, Chen Q, Axmacher N (2025) Representational dynamics during extinction of fear memories in the human brain. Nature human behaviour (accepted pending minor revisions) bioRxiv 2025.04.26.650560 https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.26.650560

Pfaffenrot V, Bouyeure A, Gomes CA, Kashyap S, Axmacher N, Norris DG (2024) Characterizing BOLD activation patterns in the human hippocampus with laminar fMRI. bioRxiv:2024.07.04.602065. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.04.602065

Rau EMB, Fellner M-C, Heinen R, Zhang H, Yin Q, Vahidi P, Kobelt M, Asano E, Kim-McManus O, Sattar S, Lin JJ, Auguste KI, Chang EF, King-Stephens D, Weber PB, Laxer KD, Knight RT, Johnson EL, Ofen N, Axmacher N (2025) Reinstatement and transformation of memory traces for recognition. Sci Adv 11:eadp9336. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp9336