SFB 1280 PRESENTS
Kolloquiumsserie
SFB 1280 presents bietet Forschern und Forscherinnen sowie interessierten Laien die Möglichkeit, in spannenden Diskussionen international Ideen auszutauschen und aktuelle Perspektiven in der Welt der Neurowissenschaften aufzuzeigen und zu entdecken. Wir freuen uns auf viele interessante Gäste!
Vorherige Redner:innen
Human defensive reactions and their role in approach-avoidance decision making
Karin Roelofs
While scientists have traditionally viewed automatic defensive responses to threat as primarily relevant to animal behavior, a growing body of evidence suggests that these responses – particularly freezing and its associated psychophysiological states – play a critical role in human approach/avoidance decisions and the development of anxiety disorders. In her talk, Karin Roloefs will address how the balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic activity during freezing influences decision making in the face of acute threat, and why incorporating these defense mechanisms is essential to both the advancement of computational psychiatry and our understanding of human resilience.
Inhibitory Retrieval Model and Reward Processes
Michelle Craske
In this exploration, we delve into the realm of anxiety disorders, focusing on the dysregulation of fear acquisition, fear generalization, and fear extinction as significant contributing factors. A particular area of interest lies in understanding the role of anhedonia within the context of fear conditioning and its implications for exposure therapy. We also explore potential therapeutic models that aim to counteract the detrimental influence of anhedonia during the therapeutic process. By examining these facets, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of the broader landscape surrounding anxiety disorders and the intricate interplay between fear regulation and anhedonia.
The Case of Chronic Pain
Herta Flor
The mechanistic approach to mental disorder should be based on psychobiological mechanisms rather than symptoms. We suggest that learning processes and associated brain plasticity are core mechanism that can be studied in animals and humans. In addition to the hedonic value, the learning phase, i.e. habituation, acquisition, extinction, extinction memory, the role of stimulus properties, for example cue versus context and event timing need to be considered, as well as the processing of prediction errors.
Extinguishing approach-avoidance conflicts
Gregory J. Quirk
The study of extinction of conditioned fear has made great progress with the use of Pavlovian fear conditioning in rodents. In recent years, however, there has been a shift toward more realistic behavioral scenarios, in which an animal encounters danger while pursuing rewards. Approach-avoidance conflict tasks can reveal different behavioral strategies employing different prefrontal-amygdalo-striatal circuits. Extinction of approach-avoidance conflict is relevant to understanding obsessive compulsive disorder.
"WHEN THERE WAS LIFE THERE WAS DANGER"
Joseph E. LeDoux
The first cells living billions of years ago likely had to detect and respond to danger in order to survive. Life is about not being dead, and behavior is a major way that organisms hold death off. Although behavior does not require a nervous system, complex organisms have brain circuits for detecting and responding to danger, the deep roots of which go back to the first cells. But these circuits do not make fear. Fear is a human invention; a construct we use to account for what happens in our minds when we become aware that we are in harm’s way. This requires a brain that can personally know that it existed in the past, that it is the entity that might be harmed in the present, and that it will cease to exist in the future.
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:
- Saving more money (52%)
- Eat healthier (50%)
- Exercise more (48%)
- Lose weight (37%)
- 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.