Dr. rer. nat. Matthias Sperl
Scientific Assistant
Phone: +49 (0) 641 / 99 - 26086
Fax: +49 (0) 641 / 99 - 26099
Matthias.Sperl
Office: F 205
Research Interests
Pathological fear and anxiety
Simultaneous EEG-fMRI integration
Noradrenergic mechanisms of fear-related processes
Imagery in fear conditioning
Expectation violations in fear extinction
Personality traits and fear conditioning/extinction
Curriculum Vitae
2016–2021 Doctoral Degree (Dr. rer. nat.)
Philipps-University Marburg (summa cum laude)
https://doi.org/10.17192/z2021.0500
2015–2018 International Research Visits
(total duration: 14 months)
at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston/MA (USA),
Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research (Prof. Dr. Diego A. Pizzagalli)
2013–2016 Master of Science Psychology and PreProPsych pre-doctorate programm
University of Giessen (very good with distinction)
2010–2013 Bachelor of Science Psychology
University of Giessen (very good with distinction)
Publications
Rief, W.*, Sperl, M. F. J.*, Braun-Koch, K., Khosrowtaj, Z., Kirchner, L., Schäfer, L., Schwarting, R. K. W., Teige-Mocigemba, S., & Panitz, C. (2022). Using expectation violation models to improve outcome of psychological treatments. Clinical Psychology Review, 98, 102212.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102212
* Shared first authorship
Sperl, M. F. J., Panitz, C., Skoluda, N., Nater, U. M., Pizzagalli, D. A., Hermann, C., & Mueller, E. M. (2022). Alpha-2 adrenoreceptor antagonist yohimbine potentiates consolidation of conditioned fear. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 25, 759-773.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyac038
Open Data and Open Material available online at zenodo
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6833565
Lonsdorf, T. B., Hartwigsen, G., Kübler, A., Merz, C. J., Schmidt, B., Sperl, M. F. J., & Feld, G. B. (2022). Mehr als nur fragwürdig: Reproduzierbarkeit und Open Science in der Lehre aus Sicht der Biologischen Psychologie und Neuropsychologie. Psychologische Rundschau, 73, 30-33.
https://doi.org/10.1026/0033-3042/a000569
Panitz, C., Endres, D., Buchholz, M., Khosrowtaj, Z., Sperl, M. F. J., Mueller, E. M., Schubö, A., Schütz, A. C., Teige-Mocigemba, S., & Pinquart, M. (2021). A revised framework for the investigation of expectation update versus maintenance in the context of expectation violations: The ViolEx 2.0 model. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 726432.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.726432
Göhler, A. C., Haas, J. W., Sperl, M. F. J., Hermann, C., & Winkler, A. (2021): Placebo nasal spray protects female participants from experimentally induced sadness and concomitant changes in autonomic arousal. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 131-138.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.037
Open Data and Open Material available online at zenodo
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5162847
Bierwirth, P., Sperl, M. F. J., Antov, M. I., & Stockhorst, U. (2021). Prefrontal theta oscillations are modulated by estradiol-status during fear recall and extinction recall. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 6, 1071-1080.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.02.011
Sperl, M. F. J., Wroblewski, A., Mueller, M., Straube, B., & Mueller, E. M. (2021). Learning dynamics of electrophysiological brain signals during human fear conditioning. NeuroImage, 226, 117569.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117569
Open Data and Open Material available online at zenodo
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4294603
Mueller, E. M., Sperl, M. F. J., & Panitz, C. (2019). Aversive imagery causes de novo fear conditioning. Psychological Science, 30, 1001-1015.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619842261
Open Data and Open Material available online at zenodo
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2591593
Sperl, M. F. J., Panitz, C., Rosso, I. M., Dillon, D. G., Kumar, P., Hermann, A., Whitton, A. E., Hermann, C., Pizzagalli, D. A., & Mueller, E. M. (2019). Fear extinction recall modulates human frontomedial theta and amygdala activity. Cerebral Cortex, 29, 701-715.
https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx353
Panitz, C., Sperl, M. F. J., Hennig, J., Klucken, T., Hermann, C., & Mueller, E. M. (2018). Fearfulness, neuroticism/anxiety, and COMT Val158Met in long-term fear conditioning and extinction. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 155, 7-20.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2018.06.001
Sperl, M. F. J., Panitz, C., Hermann, C., & Mueller, E. M. (2016). A pragmatic comparison of noise burst and electric shock US for fear conditioning research with many trials. Psychophysiology, 53, 1352-1365.
https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12677
Book Chapter
Hermann, C., & Sperl, M. F. J. (2023). Classical Conditioning. In J. L. Matson (Ed.), Handbook of Clinical Child Psychology: Integrating Theory and Research into Practice (pp. 425-457). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24926-6_21 (Free-access link: https://rdcu.be/dfqGS)
Awards
2023 Dissertation Award (2nd Prize)
German Psychological Society (DGPs),
Section for General and Experimental Psychology
for the dissertation https://doi.org/10.17192/z2021.0500
(selected from dissertations that were completed between November 2020 and October 2022)
2019 Poster Award, Research Training Group 2271 (University of Marburg),
Hirschegg Retreat (Austria)
for a poster on learning dynamics of electrophysiological brain signals during human fear
conditioning
2018 Brain Products Young Scientist Award for a Distinguished Contribution in EEG Research
awarded by the German Society for Basic and Applied Psychophysiology (DGPA) and Brain Products
(Munich), for the Cerebral Cortex paper on EEG-fMRI coupling in fear extinction
2017 Poster Award, Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR),
Annual Meeting Vienna (Austria)
for a poster on noradrenergic mechanisms of fear conditioning
2017 Young Researcher Award
awarded by the World Association for Stress Related and Anxiety Disorders (WASAD), for the
Cerebral Cortex paper on EEG-fMRI coupling in fear extinction
Scholarships and Funding
2023 Elfriede Dietrich Foundation
"Elfriede Dietrich Research Award" funding for a research project on memory processes in
Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, in collaboration with Dr. Laura Nohr (Freie Universität Berlin),
Rayan El-Haj-Mohamad (Freie Universität Berlin), and Lina Krakau
(University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz)
2022 German Speaking Society for Psychotraumatology (DeGPT)
Scholarship for the DeGPT Summer School in the Villa Garbald (Castasegna, Schweiz), contribution:
"Hyperconsolidation of traumatic experiences: Alpha-2 Adrenoreceptor Antagonist Yohimbine facilitates
consolidation of conditioned fear"
2020 Research Training Group 2271, University of Marburg
"Treasure Box Award" funding for a research project on expectation violations in fear extinction in
collaboration with Karoline Körfer (University of Marburg)
2019 Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
Research Travel Award, Annual Meeting Washington/DC (USA)
2018 Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
Research Training Fellowship for a six-month research visit at McLean Hospital/
Harvard Medical School, Boston/MA (USA)
2016 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Marburg International Doctorate Travel Award, Annual Meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological
Research (SPR), Minneapolis/MN (USA)
2016 German Psychological Society (DGPs), Section for Personality Psychology and
Psychological Diagnostics
Scholarship for a PhD students workshop, Landau/Pfalz, contribution: “Neurobiological mechanisms
of personality differences in fear extinction”
2015–2016 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
PROMOS Scholarship for a six-month research visit at McLean Hospital/Harvard
Medical School, Boston/MA (USA)
2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
International Travel Award, Annual Meeting Seattle/WA (USA)
Involvement in Professional Societies
Since 2023 German Psychological Society (DGPs),
Division of Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology
Representative of Young Members
2021–2023 German Psychological Society (DGPs),
Division of Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology
Deputy Representative of Young Members
Since 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
Chair of the International Students Subcommittee
2019–2021 Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
Member of the Program Committee for Annual SPR Meetings
2016–2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR)
Chair of the Student Meeting Events Subcommittee
Vienna SPR Meeting
2019–2023 German Society for Basic and Applied Psychophysiology (DGPA)
Internal Auditor ("Kassenprüfer")
Reviewer Activity
Behaviour Research and Therapy; Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging; Brain Structure and Function; Cerebral Cortex; Clinical Psychology in Europe; Cognition and Emotion; Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience; Cognitive Processing; European Journal of Neuroscience; Frontiers in Psychiatry; International Journal of Psychophysiology; Journal of Behavioral Addictions; Journal of Cognitive Psychology; NeuroImage; NeuroImage: Clinical; Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging; Psychoneuroendocrinology; Psychophysiology; Scientific Reports; Stress; Zeitschrift für Psychologie