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A12 –The impact of chronic inflammation on fear extinction

Harald Engler, Sigrid Elsenbruch

Systemic inflammation interferes with learning and memory processes and may contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic pain by impairing the extinction of pain-related fear. This project aims to analyze the effects of acute and chronic inflammation on different aspects of extinction learning. We will test in healthy volunteers if acute inflammation, experimentally induced by intravenous administration of endotoxin, impairs extinction and facilitates reinstatement of conditioned pain-related fear. Effects of chronic inflammation on extinction learning will be addressed in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

Guiding questions of A12:

  • Does inflammation result in enhanced acquisition of pain-related fear?
  • Does inflammation impair extinction learning and facilitate the reinstatement of pain-related fear?
  • Are the effects of inflammation on excitatory and inhibitory learning specific to pain and what are the neural correlates?
  • Is extinction learning impaired in patients with inflammatory bowel disease?
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Harald Engler

Project Lead A12

University of Duisburg-Essen

Sigrid Elsenbruch

Project Lead A10, A12

Ruhr University Bochum

Franziska Labrenz

Postdoc A10, A12

Ruhr University Bochum / University of Duisburg-Essen

Hanna Öhlmann

Postdoc A12

Ruhr University Bochum

Lena Nonnweiler

PhD Student A12

University of Duisburg-Essen

10 project-relevant publications

Benson S, Siebert C, Koenen LR, Engler H, Kleine-Borgmann J, Bingel U, Icenhour A, Elsenbruch S (2019) Cortisol affects pain sensitivity and pain-related emotional learning in experimental visceral but not somatic pain: a randomized controlled study in healthy men and women. Pain 160: 1719-1228. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001579

Benson S, Rebernik L, Pastoors D, Brinkhoff A, Wegner A, Elsenbruch S, Engler H (2020) Impact of acute inflammation on the extinction of aversive gut memories. Brain Behav Immun. 88: 294-301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.06.009

Engler H, Brinkhoff A, Wilde B, Kribben A, Rohn H, Witzke O, Schedlowski M, Benson S (2023) Endotoxin-induced physiological and psychological sickness responses in healthy humans: insights into the post-acute phase. Neuroimmunomodulation. 30: 268-276. https://doi.org/10.1159/000534444

Koenen LR, Pawlik RJ, Icenhour A, Petrakova L, Forkmann K, Theysohn N, Engler H, Elsenbruch S (2021) Associative learning and extinction of conditioned threat predictors across sensory modalities. Commun Biol. 4: 553. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02008-1

Labanski A, Langhorst J, Engler H, Elsenbruch S (2020) Stress and the brain-gut axis in functional and chronicinflammatory gastrointestinal diseases: A transdisciplinary challenge. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 111: 104501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104501

Lanters LR, Öhlmann H, Langhorst J, Theysohn N, Engler H, Icenhour A, Elsenbruch S (2024) Disease-specific alterations in central fear network engagement during acquisition and extinction of conditioned interoceptive fear in inflammatory bowel disease. Mol Psychiatry. 29: 3527-3536. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02612-7

Öhlmann H, Koenen LR, Labrenz F, Engler H, Theysohn N, Langhorst J, Elsenbruch S (2021) Altered brain structure in chronic visceral pain: specific differences in gray matter volume and associations with visceral symptoms and chronic stress. Front Neurol. 12: 733035. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.733035

Öhlmann H, Lanters LR, Theysohn N, Langhorst J, Engler H, Icenhour A, Elsenbruch S (2023). Distinct alterations in central pain processing of visceral and somatic pain in quiescent ulcerative colitis compared to irritable bowel syndrome and health. J Crohns Colitis. 17: 1639-1651. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjad080

Pawlik RJ, Petrakova L, Cueillette A, Krawczyk K, Theysohn N, Elsenbruch S, Engler H (2023) inflammation shapes neural processing of interoceptive fear predictors during extinction learning in healthy humans. Brain Behav Immun. 108: 328-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2022.12.010

Schmidt K, Schlitt F, Wiech K, Merz CJ, Kleine-Borgmann J, Wolf OT, Engler H, Forkmann K, Elsenbruch S, Bingel U (2024) Hydrocortisone differentially affects reinstatement of pain-related responses in patients with chronic back pain and healthy volunteers. J Pain. 25: 1082-1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2023.10.028

New Year, New Me: The Facts

As the calendar turns to a new year, millions of people around the world commit to New Year’s resolutions, making promises to use the new year as a fresh beginning and an opportunity for transformation. In 2024, almost three-quarters of the British population set themselves New Year’s resolutions — that’s around 40 million people (or the entire population of Canada). This tradition was particularly strong among younger generations, with 96% of Generation Z (aged 18-27) planning resolutions, compared to just 35% of the Silent Generation (aged 79+).

Most common new years resolutions:

  1. Saving more money (52%)
  2. Eat healthier (50%)
  3. Exercise more (48%)
  4. Lose weight (37%)
  5. Spend more time with family/friends (35%)

How long do most resolutions normally last before being broken?

  • Data from America (2016) shows that 75% of individuals maintain their resolutions through the first week. 
  • 64% of individuals maintain their resolutions through the first month. 
  • 46% of individuals in America keep their resolutions past the 6-month mark.

What makes resolutions stick?

Oscarsson et al. (2020) conducted research into what makes New Year’s resolutions stick. Biggest success rates depended on how people phrased their goals. Participants who set approach-oriented goals (trying to move toward or maintain a desirable outcome or state) than those with avoidance-oriented goals (trying to move toward or maintain a desirable outcome or state) were significantly more successful (58.9% vs. 47.1%) at sticking to their goals.

The study also investigates the effects of outside support. These participants received monthly follow-ups and emails with information and exercises for coping with hurdles when striving toward personal goals, and were also encouraged to set goals using the SMART technique and to set interim goals. The group that received some support was exclusively and significantly more successful compared to the groups who received a lot of support or no support at all. 

Additionally, you might feel more successful if you set goals that are measurable in numbers. While success for a person striving to quit smoking or lose weight could easily be measured in the number of cigarettes smoked or body mass index, the success for a person striving to “take better care of themselves” could be highly subjective and possibly impossible to measure.

So as we enter 2026, let’s remember to work with our brain’s natural learning system: Frame your goals positively, break them into manageable steps, and celebrate small wins along the way.