@article{WendtHufenbachKoenigetal.2020,
  author    = {Wendt, Julia and Hufenbach, Miriam Catrin and K{\"o}nig, J{\"o}rg and Hamm, Alfons O.},
  title     = {Effects of verbal instructions and physical threat removal prior to extinction training on the return of conditioned fear},
  series = {Scientific Reports},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Scientific Reports},
  publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2045-2322},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41598-020-57934-7},
  pages     = {14},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Instructions given prior to extinction training facilitate the extinction of conditioned skin conductance (SCRs) and fear-potentiated startle responses (FPSs) and serve as laboratory models for cognitive interventions implemented in exposure-based treatments of pathological anxiety. Here, we investigated how instructions given prior to extinction training, with or without the additional removal of the electrode used to deliver the unconditioned stimulus (US), affect the return of fear assessed 24 hours later. We replicated previous instruction effects on extinction and added that the additional removal of the US electrode slightly enhanced facilitating effects on the extinction of conditioned FPSs. In contrast, extinction instructions hardly affected the return of conditioned fear responses. These findings suggest that instruction effects observed during extinction training do not extent to tests of return of fear 24 hours later which serve as laboratory models of relapse and improvement stability of exposure-based treatments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@misc{WendtHufenbachKoenigetal.2020,
  author    = {Wendt, Julia and Hufenbach, Miriam Catrin and K{\"o}nig, J{\"o}rg and Hamm, Alfons O.},
  title     = {Effects of verbal instructions and physical threat removal prior to extinction training on the return of conditioned fear},
  series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  journal   = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe},
  number    = {599},
  issn      = {1866-8364},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-44479},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-444796},
  pages     = {16},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Instructions given prior to extinction training facilitate the extinction of conditioned skin conductance (SCRs) and fear-potentiated startle responses (FPSs) and serve as laboratory models for cognitive interventions implemented in exposure-based treatments of pathological anxiety. Here, we investigated how instructions given prior to extinction training, with or without the additional removal of the electrode used to deliver the unconditioned stimulus (US), affect the return of fear assessed 24 hours later. We replicated previous instruction effects on extinction and added that the additional removal of the US electrode slightly enhanced facilitating effects on the extinction of conditioned FPSs. In contrast, extinction instructions hardly affected the return of conditioned fear responses. These findings suggest that instruction effects observed during extinction training do not extent to tests of return of fear 24 hours later which serve as laboratory models of relapse and improvement stability of exposure-based treatments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SzeskaRichterWendtetal.2020,
  author    = {Szeska, Christoph and Richter, Jan and Wendt, Julia and Weymar, Mathias and Hamm, Alfons O.},
  title     = {Promoting long-term inhibition of human fear responses by non-invasive transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation during extinction training},
  series = {Scientific reports},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Scientific reports},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2045-2322},
  doi       = {10.1038/s41598-020-58412-w},
  pages     = {16},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Inhibiting fear-related thoughts and defensive behaviors when they are no longer appropriate to the situation is a prerequisite for flexible and adaptive responding to changing environments. Such inhibition of defensive systems is mediated by ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), limbic basolateral amygdala (BLA), and brain stem locus-coeruleus noradrenergic system (LC-NAs). Non-invasive, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) has shown to activate this circuit. Using a multiple-day single-cue fear conditioning and extinction paradigm, we investigated long-term effects of tVNS on inhibition of low-level amygdala modulated fear potentiated startle and cognitive risk assessments. We found that administration of tVNS during extinction training facilitated inhibition of fear potentiated startle responses and cognitive risk assessments, resulting in facilitated formation, consolidation and long-term recall of extinction memory, and prevention of the return of fear. These findings might indicate new ways to increase the efficacy of exposure-based treatments of anxiety disorders.},
  language  = {en}
}