Publications, projects, workgroup information

The amygdala, an important brain center of emotion processing, is located deep within the human brain. Amygdala activation can be measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and used for neurofeedback. Of course, the use of this method is limited because MRIs are expensive and available only at a few clinics. With the electrical fingerprint (EFP), an innovative method of measuring the activation of deep brain structures is available, which does not require the MRI. On the basis of the brain waves, which are derived via the scalp with electroencephalography (EEG), characteristic activation patterns are reconstructed (Meir-Hasson et al., 2016). Neurofeedback of the amygdala is hereby more readily available and cheaper (Keynan et al., 2019, 2016) than with MRI. In this project, we examine the relationship between amygdala activation and EFP. We test whether patients from the adolescent center benefit from EFP neurofeedback training.

Staff: Sven Cornelisse, Miroslava Jindrova, Madita Stirner, Malte Zopfs

Literature:

Keynan, J. N., Cohen, A., Jackont, G., Green, N., Goldway, N., Davidov, A., … Hendler, T. (2019). Electrical fingerprint of the amygdala guides neurofeedback training for stress resilience. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(1), 63–73. doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0484-3

Keynan, J. N., Meir-Hasson, Y., Gilam, G., Cohen, A., Jackont, G., Kinreich, S., … Hendler, T. (2016). Limbic activity modulation guided by functional magnetic resonance imaging–inspired electroencephalography improves implicit emotion regulation. Biological Psychiatry, 80(6), 490–496. doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.12.024

Meir-Hasson, Y., Keynan, J. N., Kinreich, S., Jackont, G., Cohen, A., Podlipsky-Klovatch, I., … Intrator, N. (2016). One-Class FMRI-Inspired EEG Model for Self-Regulation Training. PloS One, 11(5), e0154968. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154968

Links:

Pre-registration at OSF: https://osf.io/6zds5

Pre-registration at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03964545

Other literature: Lubianiker et al. 2019

By training, people can learn to self- control  activation of different brain regions. This ability to control one's own brain activity can be learned by the so-called "neurofeedback" (for a review, see Sitaram et al., 2017). In neurofeedback, as the name implies, subject receives feedback about the current level of activation of a particular brain region (eg amygdala, insula, prefrontal cortex, ...).

However, can people also learn to perceive different brain states? This question is the object of this study. In order to answer this question, participants first receive EEG-based neurofeedback, which indicates amygdala activity (see the project Brain training using "electrical fingerprint"). Thus, the participants learn to control the activation of their own amygdala, which plays an essential role in the processing of emotions. In addition, the participants also go through sections of the experiment in which they no longer receive feedback and are supposed to estimate themselves how high their own activation is. It is then tested whether the participants are able to make more accurate estimates in the course of 10 training appointments.

Staff: Madita Stirner

Literature:

Sitaram, R., Ros, T., Stoeckel, L., Haller, S., Scharnowski, F., Lewis-Peacock, J., ... & Birbaumer, N. (2017). Closed-loop brain training: the science of neurofeedback. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 18(2), 86. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.164

Link:

Pre-registration at OSF: https://osf.io/grxez/

Fink-Lamotte, J., Hilbert, K., Bentz, D., Blackwell, S. E., Boehnke, J. R., Burghardt, J., … Niemeyer, H. (2023, March 30). Response to responsible research assessment I and II from the perspective of the DGPs working group on open science in clinical psychology.

Zopfs, M., Jindrová, M., Gurevitch, G., Keynan, J.N., Hendler, T., Baumeister, S., Aggensteiner, P.M., Cornelisse, S., Braindeis, D., Schmahl, C., Paret, C., 2023. Amygdala-related electrical fingerprint is modulated with neurofeedback training and correlates with deep-brain activation: Proof-of-concept in borderline personality disorder. Psychological Medicine, 1–10. 

Bublatzky, F., Schellhaas, S., & Paret, C. (2022). Aversive anticipations modulate electrocortical correlates of decision-making and reward reversal learning, but not behavioral performance. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 16, 908454.

Goldway, N., Jalon, I., Keynan, J. N., Hellrung, L., Horstmann, A., Paret, C., & Hendler, T. (2022). Feasibility and utility of amygdala neurofeedback. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 138, 104694.

Grimm, S., Keicher, C., Paret, C., Niedtfeld, I., Beckmann, C., Mennes, M., Just, S., Sharma, V., Fuertig, R., Herich, L., Mack, S., Thamer, C., Schultheis, C., Weigand, A., Schmahl, C., & Wunder, A. (2022). The effects of transient receptor potential cation channel inhibition by BI 1358894 on cortico-limbic brain reactivity to negative emotional stimuli in major depressive disorder. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 65, 44–51.

Heise, V., Holman, C., Lo, H., Lyras, E. M., Adkins, M. C., Aquino, M. R. J., Bougioukas, K. I., Bray, K. O., Gajos, M., Guo, X., Hartling, C., Huerta-Gutierrez, R., Jindrová, M., Kenney, J. P. M., Kępińska, A. P., Kneller, L., Lopez-Rodriguez, E., Mühlensiepen, F., Richards, A., … Weissgerber, T. L. (2023). Ten simple rules for implementing open and reproducible research practices after attending a training course. PLOS Computational Biology, 19(1), e1010750.

Lubianiker, N., Paret, C., Dayan, P., and Hendler, T., 2022. Neurofeedback through the lens of reinforcement learning. Trends in Neurosciences.

Paret, C., Unverhau, N., Feingold, F., Poldrack, R. A., Stirner, M., Schmahl, C., & Sicorello, M. (2022). Survey on Open Science Practices in Functional Neuroimaging. NeuroImage, 257, 119306.

Stirner, M., Gurevitch, G., Lubianiker, N., Hendler, T., Schmahl, C., Paret, C., 2022. An Investigation of Awareness and Metacognition in Neurofeedback with the Amygdala Electrical Fingerprint. Conscious. Cogn. 98, 103264.

Goldway, N., Jalon, I., Keynan, J.N., Hellrung, L., Horstmann, A., Paret, C., Hendler, T., 2021. From Feasibility to Utility: A Meta-Analysis of Amygdala-Neurofeedback. medRxiv 2021.10.16.21264853.

Paret, C., Niedtfeld, I., Lotter, T., Wunder, A., Grimm, S., Mennes, M., Okell, T., Beckmann, C., Schmahl, C., 2021. Single-Dose Effects of Citalopram on Neural Responses to Affective Stimuli in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

Paret, C., Unverhau, N., Feingold, F., Poldrack, R.A., Stirner, M., Schmahl, C., Sicorello, M., 2021. Survey on Open Science Practices in Functional Neuroimaging.

Sicorello, M., Herzog, J., Wager, T.D., Ende, G., Müller-Engelmann, M., Herpertz, S.C., Bohus, M., Schmahl, C., Paret, C., Niedtfeld, I., 2021. Affective neural signatures do not distinguish women with emotion dysregulation from healthy controls: A mega-analysis across three task-based fMRI studies. Neuroimage: Reports 1, 100019

Paret, C., Bublatzky, F., 2020. Threat rapidly disrupts reward reversal learning. Behaviour Research and Therapy 131, 103636.

Paret, C., Hendler, T., 2020. Live from the “regulating brain”: Harnessing the brain to change emotion. Emotion 20, 126–131.

Ros, T., Enriquez-Geppert, S., Zotev, V., Young, K. D., Wood, G., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., … Thibault, R. T. (2020b). Consensus on the reporting and experimental design of clinical and cognitive-behavioural neurofeedback studies (CRED-nf checklist). Brain, 0, 1–12.

Zaehringer, J., Jennen-Steinmetz, C., Schmahl, C., Ende, G., Paret, C., 2020. Psychophysiological Effects of Downregulating Negative Emotions: Insights From a Meta-Analysis of Healthy Adults. Front. Psychol. 11.

Krause-Utz, A., Erol, E., Brousianou, A. V., Cackowski, S., Paret, C., Ende, G., & Elzinga, B. (2019). Self-reported impulsivity in women with borderline personality disorder: The role of childhood maltreatment severity and emotion regulation difficulties. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 6(1).

Linhartová, P., Látalová, A., Kóša, B., Kašpárek, T., Schmahl, C., & Paret, C. (2019). fMRI neurofeedback in emotion regulation: A literature review. NeuroImage, 193, 75–92. 

Lubianiker, N., Goldway, N., Fruchtman-Steinbok, T., Paret, C., Keynan, J. N., Singer, N., Cohen, A., Kadosh, K.C., Linden, D.E.J., Hendler, T. (2019). Process-based framework for precise neuromodulation. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(5), 436–445.

Paret, C., Goldway, N., Zich, C., Keynan, J. N., Hendler, T., Linden, D., & Kadosh, K. C. (2019). Current progress in real-time functional magnetic resonance-based neurofeedback: Methodological challenges and achievements. NeuroImage, 202, 116107.

Paret, C., Zaehringer, J., Ruf, M., Ende, G., & Schmahl, C. (2019). The orbitofrontal cortex processes neurofeedback failure signals. Behavioural Brain Research, 369, 111938.

Quevedo, K., Liu, G., Teoh, J. Y., Ghosh, S., Zeffiro, T., Ahrweiler, N., … Paret, C. (2019). Neurofeedback and Neuroplasticity of Visual Self-Processing in Depressed and Healthy Adolescents: A Preliminary Study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 100707.

Zaehringer, J., Ende, G., Santangelo, P., Kleindienst, N., Ruf, M., Bertsch, K., Bohus, M., Schmahl, C., Paret, C., 2019. Improved emotion regulation after neurofeedback: A single-arm trial in patients with borderline personality disorder. NeuroImage: Clinical 24, 102032.

Nicholson, A. A., Rabellino, D., Densmore, M., Frewen, P. A., Paret, C., Kluetsch, R.,  Schmahl, C., Théberge, J., Ros, T., Neufeld, R.W., McKinnon, M.C., Reiss, J.P., Jetly, R., & Lanius, R. A. (2018). Intrinsic connectivity network dynamics in PTSD during amygdala downregulation using real-time fMRI neurofeedback: A preliminary analysis. Human Brain Mapping,39(11), 4258-4275.

Paret, C., Zähringer, J., Ruf, M., Gerchen, M. F., Mall, S., Hendler, T., Schmahl, C., & Ende, G. (2018). Monitoring and control of amygdala neurofeedback involves distributed information processing in the human brain. Human Brain Mapping,39(7), 3018-3031. 

Zaehringer, J., Schmahl, C., Ende, G., Paret, C. (2018). Emotion-modulated startle reflex during reappraisal: Probe timing and behavioral correlates. Behavioral Neuroscience, 132(6), 573-579. 

Nicholson, A. A., Rabellino, D., Densmore, M., Frewen, P. A., Paret, C., Kluetsch, R., Schmahl, C., Théberge, J., Neufeld, R.W., McKinnon, M.C., Reiss, J., Jetly, R., & Lanius, R. A. (2017). The neurobiology of emotion regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder: Amygdala downregulation via real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Human Brain Mapping, 38(1), 541-560. 

Paret, C., Jennen-Steinmetz, C., & Schmahl, C. (2017). Disadvantageous decision-making in borderline personality disorder: Partial support from a meta-analytic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews,72, 301-309. 

Paret, C., Hoesterey, S., Kleindienst, N., & Schmahl, C. (2016). Associations of emotional arousal, dissociation and symptom severity with operant conditioning in borderline personality disorder. Psychiatry Research,244, 194-201. 

Paret, C., Kluetsch, R., Zaehringer, J., Ruf, M., Demirakca, T., Bohus, M., Ende, G., & Schmahl, C. (2016). Alterations of amygdala-prefrontal connectivity with real-time fMRI neurofeedback in BPD patients. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience,11(6), 952-960.

Paret, C., Ruf, M., Gerchen, M. F., Kluetsch, R., Demirakca, T., Jungkunz, M., Bertsch, K., Schmahl, C., &  Ende, G. (2016). FMRI neurofeedback of amygdala response to aversive stimuli enhances prefrontal–limbic brain connectivity. NeuroImage,125, 182-188. 

Reitz, S., Kluetsch, R., Niedtfeld, I., Knorz, T., Lis, S., Paret, C., Kirsch, P., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Treede, R.D., Baumgärtner, U., Bohus, M., & Schmahl, C. (2015). Incision and stress regulation in borderline personality disorder: Neurobiological mechanisms of self-injurious behaviour. British Journal of Psychiatry,207(2), 165-172.

Kleindienst, N., Priebe, K., Borgmann, E., Cornelisse, S., Krüger, A., Ebner-Priemer, U., & Dyer, A. (2014). Body self-evaluation and physical scars in patients with borderline personality disorder: An observational study. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 1(1), 2.

Krause-Utz, A., Elzinga, B. M., Oei, N. Y., Paret, C., Niedtfeld, I., Spinhoven, P., Bohus, M., & Schmahl, C. (2014). Amygdala and Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Connectivity during an Emotional Working Memory Task in Borderline Personality Disorder Patients with Interpersonal Trauma History. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8.

Paret, C., Kluetsch, R., Ruf, M., Demirakca, T., Kalisch, R., Schmahl, C., & Ende, G. (2014). Transient and sustained BOLD signal time courses affect the detection of emotion-related brain activation in fMRI. NeuroImage, 103, 522-532.

Paret, C., Kluetsch, R., Ruf, M., Demirakca, T., Hoesterey, S., Ende, G., & Schmahl, C. (2014). Down-regulation of amygdala activation with real-time fMRI neurofeedback in a healthy female sample. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 8.

Bosse, T., Brenninckmeyer, J., Kalisch, R., Paret, C., Pontier, M.A. (2011) Matching Skin Conductance Data to a Cognitive Model of Reappraisal. In: Proceedings of the 33rd International Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2011, pp. 1888–1893.

Paret, C., Brenninkmeyer, J., Meyer, B., Yuen, K. S. L., Gartmann, N., Mechias, M.-L., & Kalisch, R. (2011). A test for the implementation-maintenance model of reappraisal. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 216.