The impact of cortisol administration or exposure to stress on extinction processes will be tested in four domains. First, effects of cortisol on stimulus-based fear generalization during extinction will be explored using neuroimaging. Second, effects of a novel method of reactivation (presentation of the UCS) combined with cortisol administration on reconsolidation and fear generalization will be tested. Third, the influence of stress on context-dependent reinstatement will be investigated. Fourth, phase dependent stress effects on extinction of operant behavior will be characterized using appetitive and aversive consequences.
Guiding questions of A09:
Hagedorn B, Wolf OT, Merz CJ (2021) Stimulus-based extinction generalization: neural correlates and modulation by cortisol. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 24(4): 354-365
Jentsch VL, Wolf OT (2020) Acute physical exercise promotes the consolidation of emotional material. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 173: 107252.
Jentsch VL, Wolf OT, Merz CJ (2020) Temporal dynamics of conditioned skin conductance and pupillary responses during fear acquisition and extinction. Int J Psychophysiol. 147: 93–99.
Kinner VL, Merz CJ, Lissek S, Wolf OT (2016) Cortisol disrupts the neural correlates of extinction recall. NeuroImage. 133: 233–243.
Kinner VL, Wolf OT, Merz CJ (2018) Cortisol increases the return of fear by strengthening amygdala signaling in men. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 91: 79–85.
Lonsdorf TB, Klingelhöfer-Jens M, Andreatta M, Beckers T, Chalkia A, Gerlicher A, Jentsch VL, Meir Drexler S, Mertens G, Richter J, Sjouwerman R, Wendt J, Merz CJ (2019) Navigating the garden of forking paths for data exclusions in fear conditioning research. ELife. 8.
Lonsdorf TB, Merz CJ, Fullana MA (2019) Fear Extinction Retention: Is It What We Think It Is? Biol Psychiatry.
Meir Drexler S, Merz CJ, Jentsch VL, Wolf OT (2019) How stress and glucocorticoids timing-dependently affect extinction and relapse. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 98: 145–153.
Meir Drexler S, Merz CJ, Lissek S, Tegenthoff M, Wolf OT (2019) Reactivation of the Unconditioned Stimulus Inhibits the Return of Fear Independent of Cortisol. Front Behav Neurosci. 13: 254.
Merz CJ, Hamacher-Dang TC, Stark R, Wolf OT, Hermann A (2018) Neural Underpinnings of Cortisol Effects on Fear Extinction. Neuropsychopharmacology. 43(2): 384–392.