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

A03 – Functional role and dynamic change of extinction network connectivity

Erhan Genç, Nikolai Axmacher

Using advanced imaging methods in humans we will test how dynamic interactions between core regions of the extinction network shape learning. Here, we investigate how progress in fear extinction alters functional fMRI connectivity within the network. Simultaneous EEG/fMRI recordings will reveal the electrophysiological origins of these connectivity changes. Also, interindividual differences in learning outcome will be related to variations of pre-learning structural network connectivity. Finally, high-resolution fMRI recordings at 7T will uncover for the first time the importance of fine-grained functional and structural network interactions between distinct amygdala nuclei and other regions of the network on extinction learning.

Guiding questions of A03:

  • How does rsfMRI and task-related connectivity of the extinction network change during and after learning?
  • What is the electrophysiological basis of extinction network interactions in humans?
  • Can inter-individual learning differences be predicted by pre-learning connectivity patterns?
  • How do specific amygdala nuclei interact with the remaining extinction network during learning?
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Erhan Genç

Projektleiter A03

IfADo

Nikolai Axmacher

Projektleiter A02, A03, F02

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Christoph Fraenz

Postdoc A03

IfADo

10 project-relevant publications

Bierbrauer A, Kunz L, Gomes CA, Luhmann M, Deuker L, Getzmann S, Wascher E, Gajewski PD, Hengstler JG, Fernandez-Alvarez M, Atienza M, Cammisuli DM, Bonatti F, Pruneti C, Percesepe A, Bellaali Y, Hanseeuw B, Strange BA, Cantero JL, Axmacher N (2020) Unmasking selective path integration deficits in Alzheimer‘s disease risk carriers. Sci Adv. 6(35): eaba1394.

Fellner MC, Waldhauser GT, Axmacher N (2020) Tracking Selective Rehearsal and Active Inhibition of Memory Traces in Directed Forgetting.Curr Biol. 30(13): 2638-2644.e4.

Friedrich P, Fraenz C, Schlüter C, Ocklenburg S, Mädler B, Güntürkün O, Genç, E (2020) The relationship between axon density, myelination, and fractional anisotropy in the human corpus callosum. Cereb Cortex. 30(4): 2042-2056.

Genç E, Bergmann J, Singer W, Kohler A (2011) Interhemispheric connections shape subjective experience of bistable motion. Curr Biol. 21(17): 1494-1499.

Genç E, Fraenz C, Schlüter C, Friedrich P, Hossiep R, Voelkle MC, Güntürkün O, Jung RE (2018) Diffusion markers of dendritic density and arborization in gray matter predict differences in intelligence. Nat Commun. 9(1): 1905.

Kunz L, Schröder TN, Lee H, Montag C, Lachmann B, Sariyska R, Reuter M, Stirnberg R, Stöcker T, Messing-Floeter PC, Fell J, Doeller CF, Axmacher N (2015) Reduced grid-cell-like representations in adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Science. 350(6259): 430-3.

Lee H, Stirnberg R, Wu S, Wang X, Stöcker T, Jung S, Montag C, Axmacher N (2020) Genetic Alzheimer’s Disease Risk Affects the Neural Mechanisms of Pattern Separation in Hippocampal Subfields. Curr Biol. 30(21):4201-4212.e3.

Ocklenburg S, Friedrich P, Fraenz C, Schlueter C, Beste C, Güntürkün O, Genç E (2018) Neurite architecture of the planum temporale predicts neurophysiological processing of auditory speech. Sci Adv. 4(7): eaar6830.

Oehrn CR, Baumann C, Fell J, Lee H, Kessler H, Habel U, Hanslmayr S, Axmacher N (2015) Human Hippocampal Dynamics during Response Conflict. Curr Biol. 25(17): 2307-13.

Schlüter C, Fraenz C, Pinnow M, Friedrich P, Güntürkün O, Genç E (2018) The Structural and Functional Signature of Action Control. Psychol Sci. 29(10):1620-1630.