Early Adversity Shapes Neural Representations of Threat
Project Description
This project builds on the results of Child (Associations between Childhood Maltreatment and responding to signals of threat and safety in a fear conditioning paradigm), using a similar paradigm adjusted in key aspects to answer new research questions. While the previous project has confirmed and extended findings of blunted (arousal) responding in individuals exposed to early adversity and has given insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this effect. This project will take a deeper look at the mechanisms behind this effect. We specifically assume that the transfer of the fear response from an aversive stimulus to a signal of threat (CS+) – a central mechanism underlying successful fear learning – is impaired in individuals exposed to early adversity. This hypothesis will be tested with representational similarity analysis of fMRI data and by applying reinforcement learning models to the behavioural data.
