In 2025, the fourth season of the SFB1280 podcast „Kannste Vergessen“ was set in motion. This season marked an important transition for the podcast: a relaunch including new jingles, new designs and a new logo for a more suitable look for our topics.
The shift toward fewer, yet more in-depth episodes allowed for richer conversations and deeper dives into the science of extinction learning, giving our researchers more space to unpack complex topics and share their insights with our growing audience. But we’ll come back to the old, more monthly rhythm in the new year and already have recorded two episodes for January and February for you all. So strap in!
Below, you’ll find all the nifty statistics for 2025 that Spotify Wrapped has provided us with. Thanks to everybody who took part and to all who listened!
A team led by Chaz Firestone (JHU) has adapted an AI tool to create ‚visual anagrams‘ – images that change their meaning based on their rotation. Closely related to multistable perception, these visual anagrams offer perception scientists a new way to study how the brain responds to different properties of an image. Since the two different forms of the images are made up of the exact same pixels, they may allow scientists to study the effects of specific properties – such as texture, emotion, size, or animacy – in isolation.
You can read more about the team and their process here.
Yesterday we sent candied almonds to all of you, but today we would like to ask you to contribute. For this measure, we’re calling for donations for a good cause of your choice. Maybe this could be Alzheimer NRW, or one of the innovative initiatives we’d like to introduce today:
The “Demenzkneipe”(translate: dementia pub) at Malteserstift St. Nikolaus in Duisburg is based on a biography-oriented care concept for people suffering from memory loss. The pub is built and decorated in the style of the 1950s and 1960s – many of the visitors early days. Old pop songs, photos, and regional references (such as MSV fan merchandise) are intended to evoke familiar memories, increase their well-being and potentially activate the long-term memory of residents with dementia. The pub functions as a place for memory work, where music, dancing, and occasionally a beer or eggnog take residents on a journey through time. It is less about whether they will remember the visit later. Indeed, many forget it immediately. What matters is the present moment of happiness and a reignited zest for life that the familiar surroundings make possible. The concept shows how sensory and emotional stimuli from the past can create quality of life in the here and now, even when short-term memory no longer functions.
There’s another initiative close to our elven hearts called „Vereint Bochum„. This initiative actively works against social isolation by hosting events where people can get in touch with each other – such as collective dinners and walks, or even evenings in the Schauspielhaus Bochum where we have supported them in the past. Especially in wintertime – when events are hosted everywhere and people are going out to socialize a lot – people can feel left behind. Vereint Bochum battles this by creating opportunities to break out from old patterns and make new experiences in social life. They are a relatively new club in the Ruhr area, so they would be happy about any contributions.
Alzheimer NRW: https://alzheimer-nrw.de/unterstuetzen-sie-uns/
Malteserstift St. Nikolaus: https://www.malteser.de/datenschutz/spendende-und-foerdermitglieder.html (Green heart button in the top right or the bottom bar, with the reference “Maltesterstift, St. Nikolaus, Rheintörchen”)
Vereint Bochum: DE46 4305 0001 0018 4159 76, WELADED1BOC, Sparkasse Bochum (For a receipt, it is best to include your name and address in the reference field.)
Today’s surprise is all about testing your knowledge about SFB 1280. Can you find all the answers and solve the crossword?
Questions:
1. What’s the favorite brain region of Dagmar Timmann?
2. Context is not just given by environment, it is …
3. What do you call the annual event where all members are present?
4. How many projects did the SFB have in the first funding period?
5. Harald Engler & Sigrid Elsenbruch investigate the effects of chronic … on extinction learning
6. Peer reviews and pre-registrations are examples of …
7. Studying the effect of IBS on extinction learning helps highlight mechanisms of the …-… interaction
8. How many universities are officially collaborating for the third funding period?
9. What is the color of project A13?
10. The …-model describes the effects of stress on extinction learning
11. What’s the monthly meeting for scientific exchange?
12. How many overarching hypothesis did the SFB have in the second funding period?
13. Which SFB city has free public transport?
14. Which Īzmir quarter is known for singing a song that ends in „Cim Bom Bom“?
15. What do the BBMA and SFB frequently eat in the Ruhr area?
16. The oldest university collaborating with the SFB is …
PDF Download: Click Me
As the year draws to a close, let’s take a quick moment to reflect on what has brought us meaning, joy, and connection in 2025.
Gratitude isn’t just about the big achievements; it’s about noticing the people, circumstances, and opportunities that have shaped our year.
Can you find three things you are grateful for this year? Maybe a kind colleague who helped when you needed it most? A personal breakthrough in your research? The opportunity to create meaningful science for another three years?
Taking this moment to acknowledge what we’re thankful for can help us close the year with appreciation and enter the next with renewed perspective. Perhaps you can return the favor by giving someone a compliment today or telling somebody you’re happy to have them!
Behind today’s door is a winter-neuro version of Where’s Wally – Where’s Neuro! Can you find him in the image?
And here’s a fun fact:
Philipp Blömeke had some fun when he tried to create this puzzle by prompting an AI with the task. He asked for a festive Neuron to be hidden in a busy image and to make it medium difficulty. The AI delivered! However, the results were a little chaotic.
What a year for SFB 1280 research! Among our 35 publications in 2025, 21 were published in journals ranking in the top 25% by impact factor percentile (JIF ≥75%). A remarkable achievement.
Here, we present the crown jewel: our paper in the journal with the year’s highest impact factor:
by Daniel Pacheco-Estefan, Antoine Bouyeure, George Jacob, Marie-Christin Fellner, Katia Lehongre, Virginie Lambrecq, Valerio Frazzini, Vincent Navarro, Onur Güntürkün, Lu Shen, Jing Yang, Biao Han, Qi Chen & Nikolai Axmacher
This paper dives deeper into the neural mechanisms underlying extinction by utilizing theta oscillation measurements and representational similarity analysis. As research has shown, theta oscillations play a dominant role in memory formation and retrieval as well as the discrimination of aversive and safe cues, and the stability of neural representation predicts fear learning and memory formation. But can similar patterns be shown in extinction learning?
To address this question, our colleagues utilized a novel fear and extinction learning paradigm by combining intracranial EEG with representational similarity analysis. Their findings challenge conventional assumptions: The paper reveals that amygdala theta oscillations signal safety, not threat, during extinction learning. The iEEG showed higher theta power for safe cues in a late time window, contrasting with acquisition patterns. Meanwhile, threatening cues showed more stable neural representations than safe cues in both amygdala and temporal cortex.
Beyond these patterns, the data also revealed remarkable coordination across the extinction network: context specificity in lateral prefrontal cortices during extinction coordinated with amygdala representations during late cue presentation, while item stability coordinated across hippocampus and prefrontal regions. Interestingly, context representations shifted between learning phases, with the hippocampus encoding contexts during acquisition (during video-only presentation) while lPFC took over during extinction.
The study also introduced a novel metric for reinstatement. Differential reinstatement — comparing fear versus extinction memory reactivation — revealed that higher lPFC context specificity during extinction predicted stronger fear memory reinstatement in temporal cortex, specifically for cues that switched from threatening to safe. Critically, extinction memory reinstatement also correlated with subjective safety ratings, demonstrating how competing memory traces determine whether fear returns or safety persists.
These findings support the clinical observations that high context dependency during extinction reduces lasting safety and promotes fear recurrence. As authors point out, when extinction contexts are too specific, new safety memories become exceptions rather than rules, allowing original fears to return.
With its innovative methodology and comprehensive neural network analysis, this paper provides a great contribution to translational neuroscience — and naturally earns itself our applause and accolades. Congratulations to our colleagues!
Behind today’s door is a little gadget created by one of our SFB’s members!
Just in time for winter, Tobias Otto has crafted this beautiful LED star – it can even light up in tune with a song.
Stunning, isn’t it? And Tobias was even kind enough to share with us the instructions for making such a gadget:
“To create a „lovely“ blinking Christmas star, you’ll need a soldering iron, individually addressable LEDs (such as WS2812), an Arduino Uno or other models, a 5V power supply to juice up the LEDs and the Arduino, and some cardboard, scissors, and glue.
First, cut the cardboard into the shape of a star and glue the LEDs onto it. Then, solder the LEDs together. Next, program the Arduino Uno to make the LEDs light up. If everything works, connect the power supply to the LEDs. The Arduino Uno can share the same power source, even if it’s not officially supported.
When it comes to programming, the sky’s the limit for your creativity and taste. And voilà! You’ve got yourself a marvelous, perhaps even beautiful, Christmas star. Ho ho ho, indeed!“
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:
How long do most resolutions normally last before being broken?
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.
For this door, we would love to do a special shoutout! We’re delighted to welcome Jutta Peterburs and Josué Haubrich as new members joining us in this funding period!
As an introduction, we have asked Jutta and Josué to share their favorite Christmas songs with us. And here they are!
Josué sent us a song from the Home Alone soundtrack that he likes. He says, “I loved those movies as a kid, and they used to play them on TV around Christmas every year.” Also, he shared this Christmas song that is a classic in Brazil. “Então é Natal” by Simone. The song name means “And so this is Christmas” and brings back childhood memories for Josué every time he hears it.
Jutta’s favorite Christmas song is „Santa Baby„, however in a slightly different form:
Check out Jutta and Josué’s songs (and all your submissions) in the playlist below!
But wait, before you leave: we’d love to hear from you too! Please use the box to send us your favorite Christmas songs, so we can build the ultimate SFB 1280 holiday playlist.
Today is a special day. Not only is it one month since the third funding period of SFB1280 has been approved, but it’s also the day of Winter Solstice. This is the day when one of Earth’s poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun, resulting in the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year. This incredible phenomenon raises an important question: what are the implications for human research?
Within the body, nearly all processes exhibit circadian fluctuations. These variations span aspects of cellular and molecular neuroscience, cortical and motor evoked responses, and aspects of behavior and cognition. In vertebrates, the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the ventral hypothalamus first appeared on the radar as the „central brain clock“ in the 1970s, when Stephan & Zucker studied the behavior of rats with SCN lesions. The affected rats showed great disruptions in general activity, sleep and water intake patterns, pointing towards the important role of this subtle area. Chronobiological processes such as this can significantly affect experimental outcomes, especially in humans. Newer studies have found changes in brain morphology due to circadian rhythms and steroid hormone fluctuations: In the morning, total brain volume, gray matter volume, and cortical thickness are higher, but in the evening, cerebrospinal fluid and ventricle size increase, in unison with changes in occipital and parietal cortices. This ebb and flow of the brain reflects variations in physiological functions across all aspects of brain organization, important for synchronizing and adapting behavior to environmental conditions — such as context.
Humans are a highly volatile species indeed, but it gets even more chaotic: According to the „phase-shift hypothesis„, the short sunshine hours during winter disrupt our body’s sense of time. When the release of melatonin is delayed during the shortened days, the timing of our circadian rhythms falls out of sync with the actual time of day. But how does this happen? The perpetrator may be a highly specified component of retinal output: intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). They encode absolute light intensity during the light cycle and could mediate bodily functions via a circuit that links them to the perihabenular nucleus, which then projects to the medial prefrontal cortex — potentially leading to deficits in affective regulation and more.
These negative results of insufficient sunlight exposure are especially relevant for the inhabitants of Rjukan, Norway. This town with a population of 3000 lies in a valley between two mountains and is in complete shadow between the months of September and March, causing symptoms of seasonal depression and vitamin D deficiencies. That is, until 2013, when the town found a solution involving giant mirrors to get more sunlight. It involves three heliostats — mirrors mounted in such a way that they turn to keep track of the sun while continually reflecting its light down towards the city plaza — that measure 17 m² each and stand proud upon the mountainside above the town. Despite delighted citizens and reports of lifted moods, whether these mirrors can counter the effects of long winter days is still debatable.
The SFB brings together so many cultures that enrich our work, and with them many traditions. Today, we’re honored to share a special Christmas tradition from the home country of one of our members: Javier Schneider Penate.
Javier has shared with us a beloved pre-Christmas celebration from Latin America – Las Posadas, a nine day period of celebrations that he fondly fondly remembers from his childhood.
Las Posadas are celebrated from December 16th through to Christmas Eve. „Posada“ is Spanish for „accommodation“ and refers to the inn from the nativity story. The tradition features daily processions dressed up as Joseph and Mary, traditional songs, and piñatas. During this time, piñatas are shaped like a star with seven points (this is the original shape of piñatas) and represent the seven deadly sins. So when you break the piñata, you also defeat evil – who could have thought it would be that easy?
Gracias to Javier for sharing this beautiful tradition with us!
Group:
Innkeeper:
…
In the name of heaven
I ask you for shelter,
for my beloved wife
can’t walk any further.
This is no inn,
keep moving.
I can not open,
for you may be a rogue.
…
Excerpts from a procession song
The holiday season is here, and we know many of you are celebrating together in the office at Christmas parties and festive gatherings! We’d love to capture these special SFB moments and the joy you’ve shared.
Do you have photos from your lab’s holiday parties, cozy gathering, or festive celebrations together with colleagues? We invite you to share them with us – so we can create a little SFB1280 Christmas gallery. Check it out below!
Submit Yours!
To sound the bells for holiday season, we want to share our favorite waffle recipe (courtesy of Joko). Do try this at home!
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Bon Appetit,
Joko
Today we’re sharing an interactive website that charts the rise and fall of research topics in neuroscience over five decades. Based on a semantic analysis by The Transmitter and World Wide Neuro of nearly 350,000 abstracts from leading neuroscience journals, the website is full of interactive graphs that reveal fascinating trends in the field.
The most prevalent topic in 2024 is Alzheimer’s disease, appearing in 6.2 percent of the abstracts reviewed, while EEG has shown the steepest rise, with its appearance in the literature increasing by +1.7 percentage points over the past five years alone. Dive into the data to discover trends, track emerging fields, and see how research priorities have shifted across half a century of neuroscience.
Most published research topics in 2024:
Alzheimer’s disease
EEG
Neuroinflammation
Parkinson’s disease
Hippocampus
With the hippocampus in fifth place, I’m sure our SFB has contributed a fair amount to this trend!
Today we’re keeping things simple with a festive door to spread some Christmas cheer. Behind it, you’ll find a cheerful cartoon that captures the spirit of the season. Sometimes the smallest gestures bring the biggest smiles!
Are you up for a challenge? Today’s surprise isn’t chocolate but it’s just as satisfying to unwrap: a riddle!
Noone can own me but I can be lost
Sometimes I’m set and other times crossed
Peace is what I seek, I can be open or closed
I named myself, but I can be changed when opposed
I can’t leave my home, yet far I may wander
In case you forget me, I can be found in a reminder
I’m most considerate when I’m full of me.
What could this riddle’s answer be?
Did you find the correct answer? Come back here tomorrow to find out!
the mind
Christmas time can be incredibly stressful! So we thought we would share this exercise with you – an exercise to slow down and be present in the moment. It might feel a little bit unusual at first but maybe give it a try and see what happens!
Find a comfortable place and pause. Focus your attention on your breathing. For now, don’t try to control or change it. Simply feel how your chest rises as air fills your lungs and lowers as you exhale.
Now become aware of the physical sensations in your body. Notice where your body touches the world around you. You might feel your clothing, the weight of your feet on the ground if you’re standing, or the surface of the chair beneath you. Relax your muscles and try to release a little bit of tension with each exhale.
Next, tune into your senses. Look around the space you are in right now. Do any objects catch your attention? Do you notice any smells, sounds, or tastes? Try to name them to yourself.
Finally, turn inward. How do you feel right now? Is there anything that occupies your mind? Reflect on what you need now and how you could address it. When you’re ready, take a couple more breaths before moving on to the next moments of your day.
Phew, now that that’s out of the way… Let’s start thinking about all the tasks we have to finish before Christmas. Am I right, people? Ah ha ha…
You have probably already noticed the scents of holidays returning to the streets, offices and homes.
But did you know that a smell only takes about 60 milliseconds to reach your brain? That’s a lot quicker than any postal service. However, should it have arrived already, you might be able to smell your daily mail today.
That’s because for St. Nicholas, we have sent out a deliciously aromatic surprise for you to enjoy. Since we know you have all cleaned and polished your boots, the Christmas elves have left a little gift at your administrative offices.
(If you haven’t received them yet, don’t worry. They’re on their way).
Go pick them up today!
By now, you probably haven’t seen lots of snow yet. Why not be proactive and create the mood ourselves – and help the weather along by making your own paper snowflakes?
Simply grab an A4 paper and a pair of scissors and follow these instructions:
Or, for advanced crafters, you could try to make a brain made from paper that neuroscience alumni Martin Pyka has shared with us: Origami Brain
It’s the season for brain games!
Can you identify which animals these three brains belong to?
Take your best guess – then check the solution below!
Solution:
Behind today’s door, challenge your eye for detail and your memory skills.
How to play:
Flip the cards to reveal microscopic images of neural cells. Match the two different images showing the same cell type. For an extra challenge, each nervous system cell type appears twice – but in different images!
