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

The scientific team

A01 – Extinction in the 4th dimension

Principle Investigors: Pusch, Güntürkün

Roland Pusch

Project Lead A01

rˈoːlɑnt pˈʊʃ
Ruhr University Bochum

Onur Güntürkün

Project Lead A01, F01, Z, Ö

ˈonuɾ ɡyntˈyrkyn
Ruhr University Bochum

Mehdi Behroozi

Postdoc A01

mˈehdi bˌehroˈozi
Ruhr University Bochum

Robert Reichert

PhD Student A01

rˈobɜːʁt rˈa͡ɪçɜt
Ruhr University Bochum

A02 – Neural mechanisms of context generalization

Prinicipal Investigator: Axmacher

Nikolai Axmacher

Project Lead A02, A03, F02

ˈnɪkolaɪ̯ ˈaksmaxɜʁ
Ruhr University Bochum

Antoine Bouyeure

Postdoc A02

ɑ̃.twan bwjˈœʁ
Ruhr University Bochum

A04 – The neural mechanisms of extinction learning

Prinicipal Investigator: Manahan-Vaughan, Haubrich

Denise Manahan-Vaughan

Project Lead A04

dənˈiːs mˈanɐhˌan-vˈɔːn
Ruhr University Bochum

Josué Haubrich

Project Lead A04

χo-swe ha͡ʊβɾˈiç
Ruhr University Bochum

Jiaoru Liu

PHD Student A04

Ruhr University Bochum

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

Prinicipal Investigators: Timmann-Braun, Quick, Peterburs

Dagmar Timmann-Braun

Project Lead A05, F02

dˈaɡmɑːɾ tˈɪman-bɾˈa͡ʊn
University of Duisburg-Essen

Harald-H. Quick

Project Lead A05, F02

hˈaɹə͡ld kwˈɪk
University of Duisburg-Essen

Jutta Peterburs

Project Lead A05

jˈʊtɑː peːtɜbˈuːɾs
Medical School Hamburg

Thomas Ernst

Postdoc A05

toːmɑs ˈɛʁnst
University of Duisburg-Essen

Frederik Schlitt-Nguyễn

Postdoc A05

frˈeːdeːrˌɪk ʃlˈɪt-ŋwiəŋ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Michael Klein

PhD Student A05

mˈɪxa.ˌeːl klˈaɪn
University of Duisburg-Essen

Alice Doubliez

PhD Student A05

ˈal.ɪs do͡ʊbljˈez
University of Duisburg-Essen

Enzo Nio

PhD Student A05

ˈɛnzo njˈo
University of Duisburg-Essen

A07 – Interaction between stress and serotonergic signalling pathways to modulate extinction learning in the amygdala

Principle Investigators: Spoida, Herlitze

Katharina Spoida

Project Lead A07

kataˈʁiːna ʃpˈɔɪdɑː
Ruhr University Bochum

Stefan Herlitze

Project Lead A07

ʃteːfˈɑːn hˈɛɾlɪt͡sə
Ruhr University Bochum

Hanna Böke

PhD Student A07

hˈɑnɑː bˈøːkə
Ruhr University Bochum

Lennard Rohr

PhD Student A07

lˈɛnɑɾt rˈoːɾ
Ruhr University Bochum

Hannah Schulte

PHD Student A07

hˈɑnɑː ʃˈuːltə
Ruhr University Bochum

A09 – Improving stress hormone effects on extinction learning and retrieval

Principle Investigators: Merz, Jentsch, Wolf

Christian Merz

Project Lead A09

krˈɪstiːɑn mˈɛɾt͡s
Ruhr University Bochum

Valerie Jentsch née Kinner

Project Lead A09

valəɹi ˈjɛntʃ neː ˈkɪnɚ
Ruhr University Bochum

Oliver T. Wolf

Project Lead A09

ˈɔlivɐ tˈeː vˈɔlf
Ruhr University Bochum

Jaël Caviola

PhD Student A09

Ruhr University Bochum

Lianne Wolsink

PhD Student A09

lˈiːɑnə vˈɔlzɪŋk
Ruhr University Bochum

Leander Fester

PHD Student A09

lˈeːɑndɜ fˈɛstɜ
Ruhr University Bochum

A10 – From Pavlov to pain: extinction learning in visceral pain

Principle Investigator: Elsenbruch, Icenhour

Sigrid Elsenbruch

Project Lead A10, A12

zɪɡʀˈiːt ˈɛlzənbɾˌʊx
Ruhr University Bochum

Adriane Icenhour

Project Lead A10

ˈaːdʁiaːnə ˈa͡ɪsənˌa͡ʊə
University of Duisburg-Essen

Franziska Labrenz

Postdoc A10, A12

frant͡sˈɪskɑː labɾˈɛnt͡s
Ruhr University Bochum / University of Duisburg-Essen

Laura R. Lanters née Koenen

Postdoc A10

ˈlaʊ̯ʁa ɛʁ ˈlɑnteːrz neː ˈkøːnən
Ruhr University Bochum

Sumit Roy

Postdoc A10, A12

sˈuːmɪt rˈɔ͡ɪ
Ruhr University Bochum

Dominic Pundt

PhD Student A10

dˈoːmiːnˌiːk pˈʊnt
Ruhr University Bochum

Katharina Koch

PhD Student A10

kataˈʁiːna kˈɒx
Ruhr University Bochum

Cornelia Klukowski

PhD Student A10

kɔrnˈɛlja klukˈɔfski
Ruhr University Bochum

A11 – Adapting to change: Learning and extinction in dynamic environments in chronic back pain and health

Principle Investigators: Bingel, Schmidt

Ulrike Bingel

Project Lead A11

ˈʊlrɪkə bˈɪŋəl
University of Duisburg-Essen

Katharina Schmidt

Project Lead A11

kataˈʁiːna ʃmˈɪt
University of Duisburg-Essen

Katja Wiech

Advisor A11

University of Oxford

Bálint Kincses

Postdoc A11

ˈbaːlint ˈkint͡ʃɛʃ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Lea Busch

PhD Student A11

lˈeːɑː bˈʊʃ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Jialin Li

PhD Student A11

d͡ʒˈɪalˌɪn lˈi
University of Duisburg-Essen

A12 – The impact of chronic inflammation on fear extinction

Principle Investigators: Engler, Elsenbruch

Harald Engler

Project Lead A12

hˈɑralt ˈɛŋlɜʀ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Sigrid Elsenbruch

Project Lead A10, A12

zɪɡʀˈiːt ˈɛlzənbɾˌʊx
Ruhr University Bochum

Franziska Labrenz

Postdoc A10, A12

frant͡sˈɪskɑː labɾˈɛnt͡s
Ruhr University Bochum / University of Duisburg-Essen

Hanna Öhlmann

Postdoc A12

hˈɑnɑː ˈøːlman
Ruhr University Bochum

Sumit Roy

Postdoc A10, A12

sˈuːmɪt rˈɔ͡ɪ
Ruhr University Bochum

Lena Nonnweiler

PhD Student A12

lˈeːnɑː nˈɔnva͡ɪlɜ
University of Duisburg-Essen

A13 – Adding imagery-based interventions to exposure and fear extinction

Principle Investigators:  Zlomuzica, Woud

Armin Zlomuzica

Project Lead A13

ˈaʁmiːn zlomˈuzikˌa
Ruhr University Bochum

Marcella Woud

Project Lead A13

mɑrˈsɛlə waʊd
University of Göttingen

Beray Macit

PhD Student A13

bɪɹˈe͡ɪ mˈasɪt
Ruhr University Bochum

Annalisa Lipp

PhD Student A13

ˌanaˈlisa lˈɪp
Ruhr University Bochum

Lisa Huilmann

PHD Student A13

lˈiːzɑː hˈuːɪlman
Ruhr University Bochum

Leonie von Bodelschwingh

PHD Student A13

University of Göttingen

A14 – Modeling context-dependent acquisition and extinction learning

Principle Investigator: Cheng

Sen Cheng

Project Lead A14, F02

sˈɛn t͡ʃˈɛŋ
Ruhr University Bochum

Sandhiya Vijayabaskaran

Postdoc A14

Ruhr University Bochum

Han-Jia Jiang

Postdoc A14

Ruhr University Bochum

Julia Pronoza

PHD Student A14

d͡ʒˈuːliə pɹənˈə͡ʊzə
Ruhr University Bochum

Jon Recalde

PHD Student A14

Ruhr University Bochum

A18 – How learning shapes immunity

Principle Investigators: Hadamitzky, Schedlowski

Martin Hadamitzky

Project Lead A18

ˈmaʁtiːn hˈɑdamˌɪt͡skiː
University of Duisburg-Essen

Julia Bihorac

PhD Student A18

ˈjuːliɑ bɪˈhɔːrɑt͡ʃ
University of Duisburg-Essen

A19 – Causality and neural dynamics of context and generalization

Principle Investigator: Rose

Jonas Rose

Project Lead A19

jˈoːnɑːs rˈoːzə
Ruhr University Bochum

Juan M. Peschken

PhD Student A19

xwˈɑn ˈɛm. pˈeʃken
Ruhr University Bochum

Sara Santos Silva

PhD Student A19

sˈaɾa sˈantos sˈilva
Ruhr University Bochum

Farina Lingstädt

PhD Student A19

farˈiːnɑː lˈɪŋʃtɛt
Ruhr University Bochum

A21 - Cerebellar contribution to fear extinction

Principle Investigator: Mark

Melanie Mark

Project Lead A21

ˈmeːlani mˈɑʁk
Ruhr University Bochum

Tejas Nair

PhD Student A21

Ruhr University Bochum

Haiting Wu

PhD Student A21

hˈe͡ɪtɪŋ wˈuː

F01 – Focus Group Learning Dynamics

Principle Investigators: Cheng, Güntürkün, Üngör

Sen Cheng

Project Lead A14, F02

sˈɛn t͡ʃˈɛŋ
Ruhr University Bochum

Onur Güntürkün

Project Lead A01, F01, Z, Ö

ˈonuɾ ɡyntˈyrkyn
Ruhr University Bochum

Metin Üngör

Project Lead F01

mˈetin ˈunɡoɾ
Marburg University

Herzallah Alharazin

Postdoc F01

hˈɜːzalə ɐlhˈaɹazˌɪn
Ruhr University Bochum

Nicolas Diekmann

Neuroinformatics Specialist F01

ˈnɪkolas diːkˈman
Ruhr University Bochum

F02 –Focus Group Learning Neuroimaging and Genetics

Principle Investigators: Axmacher, Timmann-Braun, Kumsta, Spisák

Nikolai Axmacher

Project Lead A02, A03, F02

ˈnɪkolaɪ̯ ˈaksmaxɜʁ
Ruhr University Bochum

Dagmar Timmann-Braun

Project Lead A05, F02

dˈaɡmɑːɾ tˈɪman-bɾˈa͡ʊn
University of Duisburg-Essen

Robert Kumsta

Project Lead F02

rˈobɜːʁt kˈʊmstɑː
University of Luxembourg

Tamás Spisák

Project Lead F02 (Associated)

Predictive NeuroImaging Lab

Carlos A. Gomes

Postdoc F02

kˈɑɾlos ˈa. ɡˈomes
Ruhr University Bochum

Javier Schneider Penate

PhD Student F02

Ruhr University Bochum

INF - Central Research Data Management

Project Lead: Otto, Winter

Tobias Otto

Project Lead INF

tˈoːbiːˌɑːs ˈɔtoː
Ruhr University Bochum

Nina Winter

Project Lead INF

nˈiːnɑː vɪnˈtɜ
Ruhr University Bochum

Maryam Alashloo

Data Steward INF

ˈmæɾiəm æˈlæʃlu
Ruhr University Bochum

Ö - Public Outreach

Project Lead: Güntürkün

Onur Güntürkün

Project Lead A01, F01, Z, Ö

ˈonuɾ ɡyntˈyrkyn
Ruhr University Bochum

Philipp Blömeke

Editor Ö

fˈɪːlɪp blˈøːmeːkə
Ruhr University Bochum

Support

Xavier Helluy

MRI Physicist

Ruhr University Bochum

Dirk Moser

Lab Lead Molecular Genetics

dˈɪɾk mˈoːzɜ
Ruhr University Bochum

Harald Lachnit

Project Lead F01

hˈɑralt laxnˈɪt
Marburg University

Annemie van der Linden

Fellow

ˈɑnəmi vɑn dɛr ˈlɪndən
Antwerpen University

A08 – Strukturelle, prozess- und kontextbezogene Faktoren die den Renewal-Effekt der Extinktion vermitteln

The Principal Investigators

Image
Name
Designation
Short Description
Social Links
Onur Güntürkün
Project Lead A01, F01, Z, Ö

ˈonuɾ ɡyntˈyrkyn
Ruhr University Bochum

Roland Pusch
Project Lead A01

rˈoːlɑnt pˈʊʃ
Ruhr University Bochum

Nikolai Axmacher
Project Lead A02, A03, F02

ˈnɪkolaɪ̯ ˈaksmaxɜʁ
Ruhr University Bochum

Erhan Genç
Project Lead A03

ɛɾhˈɑːn ɡˈɛnt͡ʃ
IfADo

Denise Manahan-Vaughan
Project Lead A04

dənˈiːs mˈanɐhˌan-vˈɔːn
Ruhr University Bochum

Dagmar Timmann-Braun
Project Lead A05, F02

dˈaɡmɑːɾ tˈɪman-bɾˈa͡ʊn
University of Duisburg-Essen

Harald-H. Quick
Project Lead A05, F02

hˈaɹə͡ld kwˈɪk
University of Duisburg-Essen

Michael A. Nitsche
Project Lead A06

mˈɪxa.ˌeːl ɑː. Nˈiːtʃɛ
IfADo

Fatemeh Yavari
Project Lead A06

fatˈimeh javˈari
IfADo

Stefan Herlitze
Project Lead A07

ʃteːfˈɑːn hˈɛɾlɪt͡sə
Ruhr University Bochum

Katharina Spoida
Project Lead A07

kataˈʁiːna ʃpˈɔɪdɑː
Ruhr University Bochum

Oliver T. Wolf
Project Lead A09

ˈɔlivɐ tˈeː vˈɔlf
Ruhr University Bochum

Valerie Jentsch née Kinner
Project Lead A09

valəɹi ˈjɛntʃ neː ˈkɪnɚ
Ruhr University Bochum

Christian Merz
Project Lead A09

krˈɪstiːɑn mˈɛɾt͡s
Ruhr University Bochum

Sigrid Elsenbruch
Project Lead A10, A12

zɪɡʀˈiːt ˈɛlzənbɾˌʊx
Ruhr University Bochum

Adriane Icenhour
Project Lead A10

ˈaːdʁiaːnə ˈa͡ɪsənˌa͡ʊə
University of Duisburg-Essen

Ulrike Bingel
Project Lead A11

ˈʊlrɪkə bˈɪŋəl
University of Duisburg-Essen

Katharina Schmidt
Project Lead A11

kataˈʁiːna ʃmˈɪt
University of Duisburg-Essen

Harald Engler
Project Lead A12

hˈɑralt ˈɛŋlɜʀ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Jürgen Margraf
Project Lead A13

jˈyɾɡən mˈɑɾɡɾɑːf
Ruhr University Bochum

Armin Zlomuzica
Project Lead A13

ˈaʁmiːn zlomˈuzikˌa
Ruhr University Bochum

Marcella Woud
Project Lead A13

mɑrˈsɛlə waʊd
University of Göttingen

Sen Cheng
Project Lead A14, F02

sˈɛn t͡ʃˈɛŋ
Ruhr University Bochum

Martin Hadamitzky
Project Lead A18

ˈmaʁtiːn hˈɑdamˌɪt͡skiː
University of Duisburg-Essen

Manfred Schedlowski
Project Lead A18

mˈanfreːt ʃɛdlˈɔvskiː
University of Duisburg-Essen

Jonas Rose
Project Lead A19

jˈoːnɑːs rˈoːzə
Ruhr University Bochum

Melanie Mark
Project Lead A21

ˈmeːlani mˈɑʁk
Ruhr University Bochum

Metin Üngör
Project Lead F01

mˈetin ˈunɡoɾ
Marburg University

Robert Kumsta
Project Lead F02

rˈobɜːʁt kˈʊmstɑː
University of Luxembourg

Tamás Spisák
Project Lead F02 (Associated)

Predictive NeuroImaging Lab

Nina Winter
Project Lead INF

nˈiːnɑː vɪnˈtɜ
Ruhr University Bochum

Tobias Otto
Project Lead INF

tˈoːbiːˌɑːs ˈɔtoː
Ruhr University Bochum

Research Fellows

Image
Name
Designation
Short Description
Social Links
Mina Khodadadi
Postdoc A01

Ruhr University Bochum

Robert Reichert
PhD Student A01

rˈobɜːʁt rˈa͡ɪçɜt
Ruhr University Bochum

Antoine Bouyeure
Postdoc A02

ɑ̃.twan bwjˈœʁ
Ruhr University Bochum

Christoph Fraenz
Postdoc A03

kɾˈɪstof frˈɛnt͡s
IfADo

Justinas Narbutas
Postdoc A03

IfADo

Arslan Gabdulkhakov
PhD Student A03

IfADo

George Jacob
PhD Student A03

d͡ʒˈɔːd͡ʒ d͡ʒˈe͡ɪkəb
Ruhr University Bochum

Josué Haubrich
Project Lead A04

χo-swe ha͡ʊβɾˈiç
Ruhr University Bochum

Giorgi Batsikadze
Postdoc A05

Universität Duisburg-Essen

Thomas Ernst
Postdoc A05

toːmɑs ˈɛʁnst
University of Duisburg-Essen

Michael Klein
PhD Student A05

mˈɪxa.ˌeːl klˈaɪn
University of Duisburg-Essen

Alice Doubliez
PhD Student A05

ˈal.ɪs do͡ʊbljˈez
University of Duisburg-Essen

Enzo Nio
PhD Student A05

ˈɛnzo njˈo
University of Duisburg-Essen

Harleen Chhabra
Postdoc A06

hɑːrˈliːn ˈtʃɑːbrɑ
IfADo

Vuk Markovic
PhD Student A06

vˈuk markˈovit͡ʃ
IfADo

Yuanbo Ma
PhD Student A06

IfADo

Hanna Böke
PhD Student A07

hˈɑnɑː bˈøːkə
Ruhr University Bochum

Lennard Rohr
PhD Student A07

lˈɛnɑɾt rˈoːɾ
Ruhr University Bochum

Lianne Wolsink
PhD Student A09

lˈiːɑnə vˈɔlzɪŋk
Ruhr University Bochum

Leander Fester
PHD Student A09

lˈeːɑndɜ fˈɛstɜ
Ruhr University Bochum

Jaël Caviola
PhD Student A09

Ruhr University Bochum

Franziska Labrenz
Postdoc A10, A12

frant͡sˈɪskɑː labɾˈɛnt͡s
Ruhr University Bochum / University of Duisburg-Essen

Genisius Hartanto
Postdoc A10

d͡ʒəˈnɪsiəs hɑrˈtantoʊ
Ruhr University Bochum

Laura R. Lanters née Koenen
Postdoc A10

ˈlaʊ̯ʁa ɛʁ ˈlɑnteːrz neː ˈkøːnən
Ruhr University Bochum

Dominic Pundt
PhD Student A10

dˈoːmiːnˌiːk pˈʊnt
Ruhr University Bochum

Katharina Koch
PhD Student A10

kataˈʁiːna kˈɒx
Ruhr University Bochum

Cornelia Klukowski
PhD Student A10

kɔrnˈɛlja klukˈɔfski
Ruhr University Bochum

Katja Wiech
Advisor A11

University of Oxford

Bálint Kincses
Postdoc A11

ˈbaːlint ˈkint͡ʃɛʃ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Lea Busch
PhD Student A11

lˈeːɑː bˈʊʃ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Jialin Li
PhD Student A11

d͡ʒˈɪalˌɪn lˈi
University of Duisburg-Essen

Hanna Öhlmann
Postdoc A12

hˈɑnɑː ˈøːlman
Ruhr University Bochum

Lena Nonnweiler
PhD Student A12

lˈeːnɑː nˈɔnva͡ɪlɜ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Beray Macit
PhD Student A13

bɪɹˈe͡ɪ mˈasɪt
Ruhr University Bochum

Annalisa Lipp
PhD Student A13

ˌanaˈlisa lˈɪp
Ruhr University Bochum

Sandhiya Vijayabaskaran
Postdoc A14

Ruhr University Bochum

Laura Heiß-Lueckemann
Postdoc A18

ˈlaʊ̯ʁa haɪ̯s-ˈlʏkəman University of Duisburg-Essen

Marie Jakobs
PhD Student A18

maˈʁiː jaˈkɔps
University of Duisburg-Essen

Julia Bihorac
PhD Student A18

ˈjuːliɑ bɪˈhɔːrɑt͡ʃ
University of Duisburg-Essen

Juan M. Peschken
PhD Student A19

xwˈɑn ˈɛm. pˈeʃken
Ruhr University Bochum

Farina Lingstädt
PhD Student A19

farˈiːnɑː lˈɪŋʃtɛt
Ruhr University Bochum

Sara Santos Silva
PhD Student A19

sˈaɾa sˈantos sˈilva
Ruhr University Bochum

Carlos A. Gomes
Postdoc F02

kˈɑɾlos ˈa. ɡˈomes
Ruhr University Bochum

Javier Schneider Penate
PhD Student F02

Ruhr University Bochum

Maryam Alashloo
Data Steward INF

ˈmæɾiəm æˈlæʃlu
Ruhr University Bochum

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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.