Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men
Fear is a vital defense mechanism to potential threats, which is influenced by the cerebellum. While the cerebellum’s role in acquiring fear responses is well understood, limited knowledge exists about its involvement in fear extinction. In this study, we investigated the effects of cerebellar theta...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1328283/full |
| _version_ | 1827386846172151808 |
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| author | Sarah Johanna Schellen Philip Zeidan Thomas M. Ernst Andreas Thieme Seyed Ali Nicksirat Christian J. Merz Michael A. Nitsche Michael A. Nitsche Fatemeh Yavari Dagmar Timmann Giorgi Batsikadze |
| author_facet | Sarah Johanna Schellen Philip Zeidan Thomas M. Ernst Andreas Thieme Seyed Ali Nicksirat Christian J. Merz Michael A. Nitsche Michael A. Nitsche Fatemeh Yavari Dagmar Timmann Giorgi Batsikadze |
| author_sort | Sarah Johanna Schellen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fear is a vital defense mechanism to potential threats, which is influenced by the cerebellum. While the cerebellum’s role in acquiring fear responses is well understood, limited knowledge exists about its involvement in fear extinction. In this study, we investigated the effects of cerebellar theta band transcranial alternating current stimulation (ctACS) administered during fear extinction training, based on previous evidence from animal studies suggesting a role of cerebellar theta oscillations in associative memory formation. To this end, thirty-seven healthy right-handed male participants were recruited for a two-day differential fear renewal paradigm. On day 1, they underwent acquisition training in context A followed by extinction training in context B. On day 2, recall was tested in contexts A and B. One group of participants received ctACS in the theta band (6 Hz) during extinction training. The other group received sham ctACS. Although both groups demonstrated the ability to recall previously learned fear and distinguish between low and high threat stimuli, no significant differences were observed between the ctACS and sham groups, indicating that ctACS at this theta frequency range did not impact extinction and recall of previously acquired fear in this study. Nevertheless, using ctACS could still be useful in future research, including brain imaging studies, to better understand how the cerebellum is involved in fear and extinction processes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:51:32Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T15:51:32Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-3bab8b46136d4b71bff7a8e5de9751612024-01-09T04:27:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612024-01-011710.3389/fnhum.2023.13282831328283Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in menSarah Johanna Schellen0Philip Zeidan1Thomas M. Ernst2Andreas Thieme3Seyed Ali Nicksirat4Christian J. Merz5Michael A. Nitsche6Michael A. Nitsche7Fatemeh Yavari8Dagmar Timmann9Giorgi Batsikadze10Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyDepartment of Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, GermanyGerman Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, GermanyDepartment of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyDepartment of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, GermanyFear is a vital defense mechanism to potential threats, which is influenced by the cerebellum. While the cerebellum’s role in acquiring fear responses is well understood, limited knowledge exists about its involvement in fear extinction. In this study, we investigated the effects of cerebellar theta band transcranial alternating current stimulation (ctACS) administered during fear extinction training, based on previous evidence from animal studies suggesting a role of cerebellar theta oscillations in associative memory formation. To this end, thirty-seven healthy right-handed male participants were recruited for a two-day differential fear renewal paradigm. On day 1, they underwent acquisition training in context A followed by extinction training in context B. On day 2, recall was tested in contexts A and B. One group of participants received ctACS in the theta band (6 Hz) during extinction training. The other group received sham ctACS. Although both groups demonstrated the ability to recall previously learned fear and distinguish between low and high threat stimuli, no significant differences were observed between the ctACS and sham groups, indicating that ctACS at this theta frequency range did not impact extinction and recall of previously acquired fear in this study. Nevertheless, using ctACS could still be useful in future research, including brain imaging studies, to better understand how the cerebellum is involved in fear and extinction processes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1328283/fullfear conditioningtranscranial alternating current stimulationaversive conditioningassociative learningpavlovian conditioningnon-invasive brain stimulation |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Johanna Schellen Philip Zeidan Thomas M. Ernst Andreas Thieme Seyed Ali Nicksirat Christian J. Merz Michael A. Nitsche Michael A. Nitsche Fatemeh Yavari Dagmar Timmann Giorgi Batsikadze Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men Frontiers in Human Neuroscience fear conditioning transcranial alternating current stimulation aversive conditioning associative learning pavlovian conditioning non-invasive brain stimulation |
| title | Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men |
| title_full | Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men |
| title_fullStr | Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men |
| title_full_unstemmed | Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men |
| title_short | Absence of modulatory effects of 6Hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men |
| title_sort | absence of modulatory effects of 6hz cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation on fear learning in men |
| topic | fear conditioning transcranial alternating current stimulation aversive conditioning associative learning pavlovian conditioning non-invasive brain stimulation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1328283/full |
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