Biology subjects

Koppold, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Koppold, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Anxiety-Related Traits Are Associated with Subjective Biases but not Altered Threat-Safety Discrimination

Anxiety-related traits (ARTs) have been linked to altered fear learning, but previous studies have typically examined different experimental phases and response systems, limiting the comparability of findings and the accumulation of consistent evidence. Here, we comprehensively examined associations between ARTs and fear conditioning across acquisition, extinction and renewal and across subjective, physiological and neural response systems in a well-powered sample (N = 267) using a two-day differential conditioning paradigm. ARTs were operationalized as a composite of trait anxiety, neuroticism, and intolerance of uncertainty and conditioned responding was assessed using skin conductance responses, fear-potentiated startle, US expectancy ratings, fear ratings, and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Higher ARTs were consistently associated with elevated subjective fear and US expectancy to both threat and safety cues during extinction and renewal, without corresponding elevations in physiological responding. At the same time, ARTs were not associated with threat-safety discrimination in subjective or physiological measures across phases, while neural associations were limited to reduced dorsal anterior cingulate cortex discrimination during early renewal. These findings suggest that ARTs are characterized by a CS unspecific cognitive bias toward heightened threat expectancy and evaluation rather than altered associative fear learning, highlighting the importance of distinguishing conditioned discrimination from general levels of responding across response systems.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Physiological Harmony or Discord? Unveiling the Correspondence Between Subjective Arousal, Valence and Physiological Responses

Affective experiences are inevitably accompanied by physiological changes, however it is still a matter of intense debate whether events evoking similar affective experiences produce comparable physiological responses (fingerprint hypothesis) or variation is the norm within individuals (population hypothesis). We reanalyzed data from two independent samples (N = 491; N = 64), using representational similarity analysis (RSA) to examine the trial-by-trial similarity patterns of subjective experience of valence and arousal and affect-related physiological measures (skin conductance [SCR] and startle blink responses). Across different affect-inducing (passive picture viewing, passive sound listening, imagery tasks) tasks and samples (Ns=491, 64), we observed strong-to-decisive evidence for a correspondence between SCR and startle responses and models of arousal and valence that assume variation, especially between trials generally evoking higher responses. Our results show that similar affective experiences are rather reflected by distinct physiological responses and emphasize the importance of considering intraindividual variability in future studies to better understand how physiological changes contribute to conscious affective experiences in humans.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Blind spots on western blots: a meta-research study highlighting opportunities to improve figures and methods reporting

Western blotting is a standard laboratory method used to detect proteins and assess their expression levels. Unfortunately, poor western blot image display practices and a lack of detailed methods reporting can limit a readers ability to evaluate or reproduce western blot results. While several groups have studied the prevalence of image manipulation or provided recommendations for improving western blotting, data on the prevalence of common publication practices are scarce. We systematically examined 551 articles published in the top 25% of journals in neurosciences (n=151) and cell biology (n=400) that contained western blot images, focusing on practices that may omit important information. Our data show that most published western blots are cropped and blot source data are not made available to readers in the supplement. Publishing blots with visible molecular weight markers is rare, and many blots additionally lack molecular weight labels. Western blot methods sections often lack information on the amount of protein loaded on the gel, blocking steps and antibody labeling protocol. Important antibody identifiers like source, catalog number or RRID were omitted frequently for primary antibodies, and regularly for secondary antibodies. We present detailed descriptions and visual examples to help scientists, peer reviewers and editors to publish more informative western blot figures and methods. Additional resources include a toolbox to help scientists produce more reproducible western blot data, teaching slides in English and Spanish and an antibody reporting template.

cell biology↗