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

A05 – The contribution of the cerebellum to extinction: intrinsic mechanisms and cerebello-cerebral interactions

Dagmar Timmann-Braun, Harald H. Quick

Project A05 includes three 7T fMRI studies, two 3T fMRI studies and one behavioral study. Two of the 7T fMRI experiments (study 1 and 2) will be performed in the first two years of funding. The behavioral study (study 5) will start during the first year. The 3T fMRI experiments (study 3 and 4) will start in the second year. Study 3 makes use of the optimized cerebellar tDCS parameters established in the first year in A06. Study 4 will be performed in cerebellar patients. We expect data acquisition of studies 3–5 to be finished by the end of the third year. In the fourth year the tDCS set-up will be brought to the 7T MR scanner (study 6).

Guiding questions of A05:

  • Does the human cerebellum, more specifically the cerebellar vermis and the fastigial nuclei, contribute to the extinction of conditioned fear?
  • What are the intrinsic cerebellar mechanisms underlying extinction?
  • Does the cerebellum interact with cerebral areas, in particular the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, during extinction?
  • Do the posterolateral cerebellar hemispheres and vermis play a different role in extinction?
  • Can the proposed intrinsic cerebellar mechanisms and cerebello-cerebral interactions be modulated by cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and by cerebellar dependent motor learning?
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Dagmar Timmann-Braun

Projektleiterin A05, F02

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Harald-H. Quick

Projektleiter A05, F02

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Thomas Ernst

Postdoc A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Bilge Albayrak

Postdoc A05 (assoziiert)

UK Essen - Klinik für Kinderheilkunde I

Giorgi Batsikadze

Postdoc A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Lana Inoue

Doktorandin A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Michael Klein

Doktorand A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Alice Doubliez

Doktorandin A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Enzo Nio

Doktorand A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

10 project-relevant publications

Batsikadze G, Rezaee Z, Chang DI, Gerwig M, Herlitze S, Dutta A, Nitsche MA, Timmann D (2019) Effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation on cerebellar-brain inhibition in humans: A systematic evaluation. Brain Stimul. 12: 1177–1186.

Brunheim S, Johst S, Pfaffenrot V, Maderwald S, Quick HH, Poser BA (2017) Variable slice thickness (VAST) EPI for the reduction of susceptibility artifacts in whole-brain GE-EPI at 7 Tesla. MAGMA. 30: 591–607.

Ernst TM, Thürling M, Müller S, Kahl F, Maderwald S, Schlamann M, Boele HJ, Koekkoek SKE, Diedrichsen J, De Zeeuw CI, Ladd ME, Timmann D (2017) Modulation of 7 T fMRI signal in the cerebellar cortex and nuclei during acquisition, extinction, and reacquisition of conditioned eyeblink responses. Hum Brain Mapp. 38: 3957–3974.

Ernst TM, Brol AE, Gratz M, Ritter C, Bingel U, Schlamann M, Maderwald S, Quick HH, Merz CJ, Timmann D (2019) The cerebellum is involved in processing of predictions and prediction errors in a fear conditioning paradigm. eLife. 8: e46831.

Inoue L, Ernst TM, Ferber II, Merz CJ, Timmann D, Batsikadze G (2020) Interaction of fear conditioning with eyeblink conditioning supports the sensory gating hypothesis of the amygdala in men. ENeuro. 7(5).

Küper M, Mallick JS, Ernst T, Kraff O, Thürling M, Stefanescu MR, Göricke S, Nitsche MA, Timmann D (2019) Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation modulates the fMRI signal in the cerebellar nuclei in a simple motor task. Brain Stimul. 12: 1169–1176.

Lipp J, Draganova R, Batsikadze G, Ernst TM, Uengoer M, Timmann D (2020) Prefrontal but not cerebellar tDCS attenuates renewal of extinguished conditioned eyeblink responses. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 170: 107137.

Pfaffenrot V, Brunheim S, Rietsch SHG, Koopmans PJ, Ernst TM, Kraff O, Orzada S, Quick HH (2018) An 8/15-channel Tx/Rx head neck RF coil combination with region-specific B1 + shimming for whole-brain MRI focused on the cerebellum at 7T. Magn Reson Med. 80: 1252–1265.

Steiner KM, Jansen S, Adeishvili N, Hulst T, Ernst TM, Müller O, Wondzinski E, Göricke SL, Siebler M, Uengoer M, Timmann D (2020) Extinction of cognitive associations is preserved in patients with cerebellar disease. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 169: 107185.

Thürling M, Kahl F, Maderwald S, Stefanescu RM, Schlamann M, Boele HJ, de Zeeuw CI, Diedrichsen J, Ladd ME, Koekkoek SK, Timmann D (2015) Cerebellar cortex and cerebellar nuclei are concomitantly activated during eyeblink conditioning: a 7T fMRI study in humans. J Neurosci. 35: 1228–1239.