TY  - JOUR
A1  - Buff, Christine
A1  - Brinkmann, Leonie
A1  - Bruchmann, Maximilian
A1  - Becker, Michael P.I.
A1  - Tupak, Sara
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
A1  - Straube, Thomas
T1  - Activity alterations in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala during threat anticipation in generalized anxiety disorder
JF  - Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
N2  - Sustained anticipatory anxiety is central to Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). During anticipatory anxiety, phasic threat responding appears to be mediated by the amygdala, while sustained threat responding seems related to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Although sustained anticipatory anxiety in GAD patients was proposed to be associated with BNST activity alterations, firm evidence is lacking. We aimed to explore temporal characteristics of BNST and amygdala activity during threat anticipation in GAD patients. Nineteen GAD patients and nineteen healthy controls (HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a temporally unpredictable threat anticipation paradigm. We defined phasic and a systematic variation of sustained response models for blood oxygen level-dependent responses during threat anticipation, to disentangle temporally dissociable involvement of the BNST and the amygdala. GAD patients relative to HC responded with increased phasic amygdala activity to onset of threat anticipation and with elevated sustained BNST activity that was delayed relative to the onset of threat anticipation. Both the amygdala and the BNST displayed altered responses during threat anticipation in GAD patients, albeit with different time courses. The results for the BNST activation hint towards its role in sustained threat responding, and contribute to a deeper understanding of pathological sustained anticipatory anxiety in GAD.
KW  - medicine
KW  - anticipatory anxiety
KW  - anxiety
KW  - fMRI
KW  - sustained threat responding
KW  - phasic threat responding
Y1  - 2017
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173298
VL  - 12
IS  - 11
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Klauke, Benedikt
A1  - Winter, Bernward
A1  - Gajewska, Agnes
A1  - Zwanzger, Peter
A1  - Reif, Andreas
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
A1  - Dlugos, Andrea
A1  - Warrings, Bodo
A1  - Jacob, Christian
A1  - Mühlberger, Andreas
A1  - Arolt, Volker
A1  - Pauli, Paul
A1  - Deckert, Jürgen
A1  - Domschke, Katharina
T1  - Affect-Modulated Startle: Interactive Influence of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Genotype and Childhood Trauma
JF  - PLoS One
N2  - The etiology of emotion-related disorders such as anxiety or affective disorders is considered to be complex with an interaction of biological and environmental factors. Particular evidence has accumulated for alterations in the dopaminergic and noradrenergic system - partly conferred by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene variation - for the adenosinergic system as well as for early life trauma to constitute risk factors for those conditions. Applying a multi-level approach, in a sample of 95 healthy adults, we investigated effects of the functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism, caffeine as an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist (300 mg in a placebo-controlled intervention design) and childhood maltreatment (CTQ) as well as their interaction on the affect-modulated startle response as a neurobiologically founded defensive reflex potentially related to fear- and distress-related disorders. COMT val/val genotype significantly increased startle magnitude in response to unpleasant stimuli, while met/met homozygotes showed a blunted startle response to aversive pictures. Furthermore, significant gene-environment interaction of COMT Val158Met genotype with CTQ was discerned with more maltreatment being associated with higher startle potentiation in val/val subjects but not in met carriers. No main effect of or interaction effects with caffeine were observed. Results indicate a main as well as a GxE effect of the COMT Val158Met variant and childhood maltreatment on the affect-modulated startle reflex, supporting a complex pathogenetic model of the affect-modulated startle reflex as a basic neurobiological defensive reflex potentially related to anxiety and affective disorders.
KW  - COMT VAL(158)MET polymorphism
KW  - serotonin transporter gene
KW  - life events
KW  - community sample
KW  - acoustic startle
KW  - prepulse inhibition
KW  - panic disorder
KW  - caffeine-induced anxiety
KW  - fear-potentiated startle
KW  - posttraumatic-stress-disorder
Y1  - 2012
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132184
VL  - 7
IS  - 6
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dittert, Natalie
A1  - Hüttner, Sandrina
A1  - Polak, Thomas
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
T1  - Augmentation of fear extinction by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
JF  - Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
N2  - Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; DSM-V 309.82) and anxiety disorders (DSM-V 300.xx) are widely spread mental disorders, the effectiveness of their therapy is still unsatisfying. Non-invasive brain-stimulation techniques like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) might be an option to improve extinction learning, which is a main functional factor of exposure-based therapy for anxiety disorders. To examine this hypothesis, we used a fear conditioning paradigm with female faces as conditioned stimuli (CS) and a 95-dB female scream as unconditioned stimulus (UCS). We aimed to perform a tDCS of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which is mainly involved in the control of extinction-processes. Therefore, we applied two 4 × 4 cm electrodes approximately at the EEG-positions F7 and F8 and used a direct current of 1.5 mA. The 20-min stimulation was started during a 10-min break between acquisition and extinction and went on overall extinction-trials. The healthy participants were randomly assigned in two double-blinded process into two sham stimulation and two verum stimulation groups with opposite current flow directions. To measure the fear reactions, we used skin conductance responses (SCR) and subjective ratings. We performed a generalized estimating equations model for the SCR to assess the impact of tDCS and current flow direction on extinction processes for all subjects that showed a successful conditioning (N = 84). The results indicate that tDCS accelerates early extinction processes with a significantly faster loss of CS+/CS- discrimination. The discrimination loss was driven by a significant decrease in reaction toward the CS+ as well as an increase in reaction toward the CS- in the tDCS verum groups, whereas the sham groups showed no significant reaction changes during this period. Therefore, we assume that tDCS of the vmPFC can be used to enhance early extinction processes successfully. But before it should be tested in a clinical context further investigation is needed to assess the reason for the reaction increase on CS-. If this negative side effect can be avoided, tDCS may be a tool to improve exposure-based anxiety therapies.
KW  - brain stimulation
KW  - fear conditioning
KW  - skin conduction response
KW  - tDCS
KW  - ventromedial prefrontal cortex
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-176056
VL  - 12
IS  - 76
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rosenbaum, David
A1  - Blum, Leonore
A1  - Schweizer, Paul
A1  - Fallgatter, Andreas J.
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
A1  - Ehlis, Ann-Christine
A1  - Metzger, Florian G.
T1  - Comparison of speed versus complexity effects on the hemodynamic response of the trail making test in block designs
JF  - Neurophotonics
N2  - The use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in block designs provides measures of cortical activity in ecologically valid environments. However, in some cases, the use of block designs may be problematic when data are not corrected for performance in a time-restricted block. We sought to investigate the effects of task complexity and processing speed on hemodynamic responses in an fNIRS block design. To differentiate the effects of task complexity and processing speed, 20 subjects completed the trail making test (TMT) in two versions (TMT-A versus TMT-B) and three different speed levels (slow versus moderate versus fast). During TMT-A, subjects are asked to connect encircled numbers in numerically ascending order (1-2-3 ... ). In the more complex TMT-B, subjects are instructed to connect encircled numbers and letters in alternating ascending order (1-A-2-B ... ). To illustrate the obscuring effects of processing speed on task complexity, we perform two different analyses. First, we analyze the classical measures of oxygenated blood, and second, we analyze the measures corrected for the number of processed items. Our results show large effects for processing speed within the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and superior parietal lobule (SPL). The TMT contrast did not show significant effects with classical measures, although trends are observed for higher activation during TMT-B. When corrected for processed items, higher activity for TMT-B in comparison to TMT-A is found within the SPL. The results are discussed in light of recent research designs, and simple to use correction methods are suggested. (c) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
KW  - functional near-infrared spectroscopy
KW  - trail making test
KW  - processing speed
KW  - task complexity
Y1  - 2018
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-226982
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Verner, Martin
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
A1  - Troche, Stefan J.
A1  - Roebers, Claudia M.
A1  - Rammsayer, Thomas H.
T1  - Cortical oxygen consumption in mental arithmetic as a function of task difficulty: a near-infrared spectroscopy approach
JF  - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
N2  - The present study investigated changes in cortical oxygenation during mental arithmetic using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Twenty-nine male volunteers were examined using a 52-channel continuous wave system for analyzing activity in prefrontal areas. With the help of a probabilistic mapping method, three regions of interest (ROIs) on each hemisphere were defined: The inferior frontal gyri (IFG), the middle frontal gyri (MFG), and the superior frontal gyri (SFG). Oxygenation as an indicator of functional brain activation was compared over the three ROI and two levels of arithmetic task difficulty (simple and complex additions). In contrast to most previous studies using fMRI or NIRS, in the present study arithmetic tasks were presented verbally in analogue to many daily life situations. With respect to task difficulty, more complex addition tasks led to higher oxygenation in all defined ROI except in the left IFG compared to simple addition tasks. When compared to the channel positions covering different gyri of the temporal lobe, the observed sensitivity to task complexity was found to be restricted to the specified ROIs. As to the comparison of ROIs, the highest oxygenation was found in the IFG, while MFG and SFG showed significantly less activation compared to IFG. The present cognitive-neuroscience approach demonstrated that NIRS is a suitable and highly feasible research tool for investigating and quantifying neural effects of increasing arithmetic task difficulty.
KW  - cortical activation
KW  - working memory
KW  - individual differences
KW  - prefrontal cortex
KW  - FMRI
KW  - brain-regions
KW  - subsctraction
KW  - activation
KW  - bold
KW  - intelligibility
KW  - NIRS
KW  - oxygen consumption
KW  - task difficulty
KW  - mental arithmetic
KW  - near-infrared spectroscopy
Y1  - 2013
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122449
SN  - 1662-5161
VL  - 7
IS  - 217
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Biehl, Stefanie C.
A1  - Dresler, Thomas
A1  - Reif, Andreas
A1  - Scheuerpflug, Peter
A1  - Deckert, Jürgen
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
T1  - Dopamine Transporter (DAT1) and Dopamine Receptor D4 (DRD4) Genotypes Differentially Impact on Electrophysiological Correlates of Error Processing
JF  - PLoS One
N2  - Recent studies as well as theoretical models of error processing assign fundamental importance to the brain's dopaminergic system. Research about how the electrophysiological correlates of error processing—the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe)—are influenced by variations of common dopaminergic genes, however, is still relatively scarce. In the present study, we therefore investigated whether polymorphisms in the DAT1 gene and in the DRD4 gene, respectively, lead to interindividual differences in these error processing correlates. One hundred sixty participants completed a version of the Eriksen Flanker Task while a 26-channel EEG was recorded. The task was slightly modified in order to increase error rates. During data analysis, participants were split into two groups depending on their DAT1 and their DRD4 genotypes, respectively. ERN and Pe amplitudes after correct responses and after errors as well as difference amplitudes between errors and correct responses were analyzed. We found a differential effect of DAT1 genotype on the Pe difference amplitude but not on the ERN difference amplitude, while the reverse was true for DRD4 genotype. These findings are in line with predictions from theoretical models of dopaminergic transmission in the brain. They furthermore tie results from clinical investigations of disorders impacting on the dopamine system to genetic variations known to be at-risk genotypes.
KW  - haplotypes
KW  - electroencephalography
KW  - basal ganglia
KW  - reaction time
KW  - dopaminergics
KW  - dopamine
KW  - ADHD
KW  - research errors
Y1  - 2011
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137930
VL  - 6
IS  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Manish, Asthana
A1  - Nueckel, Katharina
A1  - Mühlberger, Andreas
A1  - Neueder, Dorothea
A1  - Polak, Thomas
A1  - Domschke, Katharina
A1  - Deckert, Jürgen
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
T1  - Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on consolidation of fear memory
JF  - Frontiers in Neuropsychiatric Imaging and Stimulation
N2  - It has been shown that applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) influences declarative memory processes. This study investigates the efficacy of tDCS on emotional memory consolidation, especially experimental fear conditioning. We applied an auditory fear-conditioning paradigm, in which two differently colored squares (blue and yellow) were presented as conditioned stimuli (CS) and an auditory stimulus as unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Sixty-nine participants were randomly assigned into three groups: anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation. The participants of the two active groups (i.e., anodal and cathodal) received tDCS over the left DLPFC for 12 min after fear conditioning. The effect of fear conditioning and consolidation (24 h later) was measured by assessing the skin conductance response (SCR) to the CS. The results provide evidence that cathodal stimulation of the left DLPFC leads to an inhibitory effect on fear memory consolidation compared to anodal and sham stimulation, as indicated by decreased SCRs to CS+ presentation during extinction training at day 2. In conclusion, current work suggests that cathodal stimulation interferes with processes of fear memory consolidation.
KW  - transcranial direct current stimulation
KW  - dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
KW  - fear conditioning
KW  - fear memory consolidation
Y1  - 2013
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-97294
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Egetemeir, Johanna
A1  - Stenneken, Prisca
A1  - Koehler, Saskia
A1  - Fallgatter, Andreas J.
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
T1  - Exploring the neural basis of real-life joint action: measuring brain activation during joint table setting with functional near-infrared spectroscopy
JF  - FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
N2  - Many every-day life situations require two or more individuals to execute actions together. Assessing brain activation during naturalistic tasks to uncover relevant processes underlying such real-life joint action situations has remained a methodological challenge. In the present study, we introduce a novel joint action paradigm that enables the assessment of brain activation during real-life joint action tasks using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We monitored brain activation of participants who coordinated complex actions with a partner sitting opposite them. Participants performed table setting tasks, either alone (solo action) or in cooperation with a partner (joint action), or they observed the partner performing the task (action observation). Comparing joint action and solo action revealed stronger activation (higher [oxy-Hb]-concentration) during joint action in a number of areas. Among these were areas in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) that additionally showed an overlap of activation during action observation and solo action. Areas with such a close link between action observation and action execution have been associated with action simulation processes. The magnitude of activation in these IPL areas also varied according to joint action type and its respective demand on action simulation. The results validate fNIRS as an imaging technique for exploring the functional correlates of interindividual action coordination in real-life settings and suggest that coordinating actions in real-life situations requires simulating the actions of the partner.
KW  - joint action
KW  - fNIRS
KW  - neuroimaging
KW  - social interaction
KW  - real-life interaction
KW  - simulation
Y1  - 2011
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137054
N1  - Copyright © 2011 Egetemeir, Stenneken, Koehler, Fallgatter and Herrmann.This is an open-access article subject to a non-exclusive license between the authors and Frontiers Media SA,which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited andother Frontiers conditions are complied with.
VL  - 5
IS  - 9, Artikel 95
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Haberstumpf, Sophia
A1  - Leinweber, Jonas
A1  - Lauer, Martin
A1  - Polak, Thomas
A1  - Deckert, Jürgen
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
T1  - Factors associated with dropout in the longitudinal Vogel study of cognitive decline
JF  - The European Journal of Neuroscience
N2  - Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, is a growing problem worldwide. Prevention or early detection of the disease or a prodromal cognitive decline is necessary. By means of our long-term follow-up ‘Vogel study’, we aim to predict the pathological cognitive decline of a German cohort (mean age was 73.9 ± 1.55 years at first visit) with three measurement time points within 6 years per participant. Especially in samples of the elderly and subjects with chronic or co-morbid diseases, dropouts are one of the biggest problems of long-term studies. In contrast to the large number of research articles conducted on the course of dementia, little research has been done on the completion of treatment. To ensure unbiased and reliable predictors of cognitive decline from study completers, our objective was to determine predictors of dropout. We conducted multivariate analyses of covariance and multinomial logistic regression analyses to compare and predict the subject's dropout behaviour at the second visit 3 years after baseline (full participation, partial participation and no participation/dropout) with neuropsychiatric, cognitive, blood and lifestyle variables. Lower performance in declarative memory, attention and visual–spatial processing predicted dropout rather than full participation. Lower performance in visual–spatial processing predicted partial participation as opposed to full participation. Furthermore, lower performance in mini-mental status examination predicted whether subjects dropped out or participated partially instead of full participation. Baseline cognitive parameters are associated with dropouts at follow-up with a loss of impaired participants. We expect a bias into a healthier sample over time.
KW  - dementia
KW  - prevention
KW  - cognitive decline
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-318945
VL  - 56
IS  - 9
SP  - 5587
EP  - 5600
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schecklmann, Martin
A1  - Giani, Anette
A1  - Tupak, Sara
A1  - Langguth, Berthold
A1  - Raab, Vincent
A1  - Polak, Thomas
A1  - Varallyay, Csanad
A1  - Harnisch, Wilma
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
A1  - Fallgatter, Andreas J.
T1  - Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Probe State- and Trait-Like Conditions in Chronic Tinnitus: A Proof-of-Principle Study
JF  - Neural Plasticity
N2  - Objective. Several neuroscience tools showed the involvement of auditory cortex in chronic tinnitus. In this proof-of-principle study we probed the capability of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for the measurement of brain oxygenation in auditory cortex in dependence from chronic tinnitus and from intervention with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Methods. Twenty-three patients received continuous theta burst stimulation over the left primary auditory cortex in a randomized sham-controlled neuronavigated trial (verum = 12; placebo = 11). Before and after treatment, sound-evoked brain oxygenation in temporal areas was measured with fNIRS. Brain oxygenation was measured once in healthy controls (n = 12). Results. Sound-evoked activity in right temporal areas was increased in the patients in contrast to healthy controls. Left-sided temporal activity under the stimulated area changed over the course of the trial; high baseline oxygenation was reduced and vice versa. Conclusions. By demonstrating that rTMS interacts with auditory evoked brain activity, our results confirm earlier electrophysiological findings and indicate the sensitivity of fNIRS for detecting rTMS induced changes in brain activity. Moreover, our findings of trait-and state-related oxygenation changes indicate the potential of fNIRS for the investigation of tinnitus pathophysiology and treatment response.
KW  - transcranial magnetic stimulation
KW  - positron-emission-tomography
KW  - auditory cortex
KW  - FNIRS
KW  - RTMS
KW  - neural activity
KW  - FMRI
KW  - brain
KW  - activation
KW  - humans
Y1  - 2014
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117801
SN  - 1687-5443
IS  - 894203
ER  -