TY  - JOUR
A1  - Guhn, Anne
A1  - Dresler, Thomas
A1  - Andreatta, Marta
A1  - Müller, Laura D.
A1  - Hahn, Tim
A1  - Tupak, Sara V.
A1  - Polak, Thomas
A1  - Deckert, Jürgen
A1  - Herrmann, Martin J.
T1  - Medial prefrontal  cortex stimulation modulates the processing of conditioned fear
N2  - The extinction of conditioned fear depends on an efficient interplay between the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In rats, high-frequency electrical mPFC stimulation has been shown to improve extinction by means of a reduction of amygdala activity. However, so far it is unclear whether stimulation of homologues regions in humans might have similar beneficial effects. Healthy volunteers received one session of either active or sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) covering the mPFC while undergoing a 2-day fear conditioning and extinction paradigm. Repetitive TMS was applied offline after fear acquisition in which one of two faces (CS+ but not CS−) was associated with an aversive scream (UCS). Immediate extinction learning (day 1) and extinction recall (day 2) were conducted without UCS delivery. Conditioned responses (CR) were assessed in a multimodal approach using fear-potentiated startle (FPS), skin conductance responses (SCR), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and self-report scales. Consistent with the hypothesis of a modulated processing of conditioned fear after high-frequency rTMS, the active group showed a reduced CS+/CS− discrimination during extinction learning as evident in FPS as well as in SCR and arousal ratings. FPS responses to CS+ further showed a linear decrement throughout both extinction sessions. This study describes the first experimental approach of influencing conditioned fear by using rTMS and can thus be a basis for future studies investigating a complementation of mPFC stimulation to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
KW  - fear conditioning
KW  - memory consolidation and extinction
KW  - learning
KW  - transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
KW  - medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
Y1  - 2014
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-111309
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  -