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

A16 – Early extinction and the developing brain: a neurodevelopmental approach

Silvia Schneider, Sarah Weigelt

The translational project A16 “Early extinction learning and the developing brain” led by Silvia Schneider and Sarah Weigelt investigates the development of extinction in two critical times for major changes in the developing brain: infancy and adolescence. An innovative research design and state-of-the art neuro-developmental approaches allow the systematic research of qualitative and quantitative developmental transitions in extinction. The project translates for the first time findings from rodent research to humans and opens up future investigations with regard to therapeutic interventions.

Guiding questions of A16:

  • How does the developing hippocampus affect extinction qualitatively (forgetting vs. re-learning) and quantitatively (learning curves, time-to-extinction) during infancy/early childhood?
  • How does the maturing prefontal cortex affect extinction learning during adolescence and in the transition to young adulthood?
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Silvia Schneider

Projektleiterin A16

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Sarah Weigelt

Projektleiterin A16

Technische Universität Dortmund

Carolin Konrad

Postdoc A16

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Julie Jagusch-Poirier

Doktorandin A16

Technische Universität Dortmund

6 project-relevant publications

Konrad C, Adolph D, Herbert JS, Neuhoff L, Mohr C, Jagusch-Poirier J, Seehagen S, Weigelt S, Schneider S (2020) A New 3-Day Standardized Eyeblink Conditioning Protocol to Assess Extinction Learning From Infancy to Adulthood. Front Behav Neurosci. 14: 135.

Meissner TW, Walbrin J, Nordt M, Koldewyn K, Weigelt S (2020) Head motion during fMRI tasks is reduced in children and adults if participants take breaks. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 44: 100803.

Nordt M, Semmelmann K, Genç E, Weigelt S (2018) Age-related increase of image-invariance in the fusiform face area. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 31: 46–57.

Seehagen S, Schneider S, Sommer K, La Rocca L, Konrad C (2020) State-Dependent Memory in Infants. Child Dev.https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13444

Semmelmann K, Weigelt S (2018) Online webcam-based eye tracking in cognitive science: A first look. Behav Res. 50(2): 451–465.

Zlomuzica A, Schneider S, Konrad C, Merz CJ, Wolf OT, Raeder F, Margraf J (2020) Clinical implications of fear extinction in anxiety disorders. Neuroforum. 26(3): 143–149.