Peer-Reviewed Journals

• Hagedorn, B., Wolf, O.T. & Merz, C.J. (in press). Stimulus-based extinction generalization – neural correlates and disruption by cortisol. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology.
• Inoue, L., Ernst, T.M., Ferber, I.I., Merz, C.J., Timmann, D. & Batsikadze, G. (2020). Interaction of fear conditioning with eyeblink conditioning supports the sensory gating hypothesis of the amygdala. eNeuro, 7, 1-15.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J., Jentsch, V.L. & Wolf, O.T. (2020). Stress modulation of fear and extinction in psychopathology and treatment. Neuroforum, 26, 133-141.
• Zlomuzica, A., Schneider, S., Wolf, O.T., Merz, C.J., Konrad, C., Raeder, F. & Margraf, J. (2020). Against the return of fear: novel ways to treat anxiety. Neuroforum, 26, 143-149.
• Raeder, F., Merz, C.J., Margraf, J. & Zlomuzica, A. (2020). The association between fear extinction, the ability to accomplish exposure and exposure therapy outcome in specific phobia. Scientific Reports, 10, 4288.
• Merz, C.J., Eichholtz, A. & Wolf, O.T. (2020). Acute stress reduces out-group related safety signaling during fear reinstatement in women. Scientific Reports, 10, 2092.
• Hermann, A., Stark, R., Müller, E.A., Kruse, O., Wolf, O.T. & Merz, C.J. (2020). Multiple extinction contexts modulate the neural correlates of context-dependent extinction learning and retrieval. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 168, 107150.
• Lonsdorf, T.B., Klingelhöfer-Jens, M., Andreatta, M., Beckers, T., Chalkia, A., Gerlicher, A., Jentsch, V.L., Meir Drexler, S., Mertens, G., Richter, J., Sjouwerman, R., Wendt, J. & Merz, C.J. (2020). Navigating the garden of forking paths for data exclusions in fear conditioning research. eLife, e52465.
• Jentsch, V.L., Wolf, O.T. & Merz, C.J. (2020). Temporal dynamics of conditioned skin conductance and pupillary responses during fear acquisition and extinction. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 147, 93-99.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J., Lissek, S., Tegenthoff, M. & Wolf, O.T. (2019). Reactivation of the unconditioned stimulus inhibits the return of fear independent of cortisol. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13, 254.
• Haaker, J., Maren, S., Andreatta, M., Merz, C.J., Richter, J., Richter, S.H., Meir Drexler, S., Lange, M.D., Jüngling, K., Seidenbecher, T., Nees, F., Fullana, M.A., Wotjak, C.T. & Lonsdorf, T.B. (2019). Making translation work: Harmonizing cross-species methodology in the behavioural neuroscience of Pavlovian fear conditioning. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 107, 329-345.
• Ernst, T.M., Brol, A., Gratz, M., Ritter, C., Bingel, U., Schlamann, M., Maderwald, S., Quick, H.H., Merz, C.J.* & Timmann, D.* (2019). The cerebellum is involved in processing of predictions and predicition errors in a fear conditioning paradigm. eLife, 8, e46831.
• Jentsch, V.L., Merz, C.J. & Wolf, O.T. (2019). Restoring emotional stability: cortisol effects on the neural networks of cognitive emotion regulation. Behavioural Brain Research, 374, 111880.
• Merz, C.J., Hagedorn, B. & Wolf, O.T. (2019). An oral presentation causes stress and memory impairments. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 104, 1-6.
• Lonsdorf, T.B., Merz, C.J. & Fullana, M.A. (2019). Fear extinction retention - is it what we think it is? Biological Psychiatry, 85, 1074-1082.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J., Jentsch, V.L. & Wolf, O.T. (2019). How stress and glucocorticoids timing-dependently affect extinction and relapse. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 98, 145-153.
• Merz, C.J. & Wolf, O.T. (2019). The immediate extinction deficit occurs in a non-emotional learning paradigm. Learning and Memory, 26, 39-45.
• Merz, C.J. & Lonsdorf, T.B. (2020). Methodische Anmerkungen und Anwendungsbereiche der Furchtkonditionierung in verschiedenen psychologischen Disziplinen. Psychologische Rundschau, 71, 273-287.
• Raeder, F., Merz, C.J., Tegenthoff, M., Wolf, O.T., Margraf, J. & Zlomuzica, A. (2019). Post-exposure cortisol administration does not augment the success of exposure therapy: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 99, 174-182.
• Stock, L.-M. & Merz, C.J. (2018). Memory retrieval of everyday information under stress. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 152, 32-38.
• Kinner, V.L., Wolf, O.T. & Merz, C.J. (2018). Cortisol increases the return of fear by strengthening amygdala signaling in men. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 91, 79-85.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J. & Wolf, O.T. (2018). Pre-extinction stress prevents context-related renewal of fear. Behavior Therapy, 49, 1008-1019.
• Merz, C.J., Kinner, V.L., & Wolf, O.T. (2018). Let’s talk about sex … differences in human fear conditioning. Currrent Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 23, 7-12.
• Merz, C.J., Hamacher-Dang, T.C., Stark, R., Wolf, O.T. & Hermann, A. (2018). Neural underpinnings of cortisol effects on fear extinction and extinction retrieval. Neuropsychopharmacology, 43, 384-392.
• Lonsdorf, T.B. & Merz, C.J. (2017). More than just noise: Individual differences in fear acquisition, extinction and return of fear in humans - Biological, experiential, temperamental factors, and methodological pitfalls. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 80, 703-728.
• Merz, C.J. (2017). Contribution of stress and sex hormones to memory encoding. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 82, 51-58.
• Hermann, A., Stark, R., Blecker, C.R., Milad, M.R. & Merz, C.J. (2017). Brain structural connectivity and context-dependent extinction memory. Hippocampus, 27, 883-889.
• Lonsdorf, T.B., Menz, M., Andreatta, M., Fullana, M., Golkar, A., Haaker, J., Heitland, I., Hermann, A., Kuhn, M., Kruse, O., Meir Drexler, S., Meulders, A., Nees, F., Pittig, A., Richter, J., Römer, S., Shiban, Y., Schmitz, A., Straube, B., Vervliet, B., Wendt, J., Baas, J.M.P.* & Merz, C.J.* (2017). Don’t fear ‘fear conditioning’: Methodological considerations for the design and analysis of studies on human fear acquisition, extinction, and return of fear. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 77, 247-285.
• Kinner, V.L., Kuchinke, L., Dierolf, A.M., Merz, C.J., Otto, T. & Wolf, O.T. (2017). What our eyes tell us about feelings: Tracking pupillary responses during emotion regulation processes. Psychophysiology, 54, 508-518.
• Merz, C.J., Dietsch, F. & Schneider, M. (2016). The impact of psychosocial stress on conceptual knowledge retrieval. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 134, 392-399.
• Merz, C.J. & Wolf, O.T. (2017). Sex differences in stress effects on emotional learning. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 95, 93-105.
• Kinner, V.L., Wolf, O.T. & Merz, C.J. (2016). Cortisol alters reward processing in the human brain. Hormones and Behavior, 84, 74-83.
• Biehl, S., Merz C.J., Dresler, T., Heupel, J., Reichert, S., Jacob, C.P., Deckert, J. & Herrmann, M.J. (2016). Increase or decrease of fMRI activity in adult attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder – does it depend on task difficulty? International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 19, 1-10.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J., Hamacher-Dang, T.C. & Wolf, O.T. (2016). Cortisol effects on fear memory reconsolidation in women. Psychopharmacology, 233, 2687-2697.
• Hermann, A., Stark, R., Milad M.R. & Merz, C.J. (2016). Renewal of conditioned fear in a novel context is associated with hippocampal activation and connectivity. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11, 1411-1421.
• Kinner, V.L., Merz, C.J., Lissek, S. & Wolf, O.T. (2016). Cortisol disrupts the neural correlates of extinction recall. NeuroImage, 133, 233-243.
• Merz, C.J.*, Hamacher-Dang, T.C.*, Wolf, O.T. (2016). Immediate extinction promotes the return of fear. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 131, 109-116.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J., Hamacher-Dang, T.C., Tegenthoff, M. & Wolf, O.T. (2015). Effects of cortisol on reconsolidation of reactivated fear memories. Neuropsychopharmacology, 40, 3036-3043.
• Icenhour, A., Kattoor, J., Benson, S., Boekstegers, A., Schlamann, M., Merz, C.J., Forsting, M., Elsenbruch, S. (2015). Neural circuitry underlying effects of context on human pain-related fear extinction in a renewal paradigm. Hum Brain Mapp, 36, 3179-3193.
• Merz, C.J., Wolf, O.T. (2015). Examination of cortisol and state anxiety at an academic setting with and without oral presentation. Stress, 18, 138-142.
• Utz, A., Thürling, M., Ernst, T.M., Hermann, A., Stark, R., Wolf, O.T., Timmann, D., Merz, C.J. (2015). Cerebellar vermis contributes to the extinction of conditioned fear. Neurosci Lett, 604, 173-177.
• Hamacher-Dang, T.C.*, Merz, C.J.*, Wolf, O.T. (2015). Stress following extinction learning leads to a context-dependent return of fear. Psychophysiology, 52, 489-498.
• Mosig, C., Merz C.J., Mohr, C., Adolph, D., Wolf, O.T., Schneider, S., Margraf, J., & Zlomuzica, A. (2014). Enhanced discriminative fear learning of phobia-irrelevant stimuli in spider-fearful individuals. Front Behav Neurosci, 8, 328.
• Meir Drexler, S., Merz, C.J., Hamacher-Dang, T.C., Marquardt, V., Fritsch, N. & Wolf, O.T. (2014). Effects of post-retrieval extinction learning on return of contextual-controlled cued fear. Beh Neurosci, 128, 474–481.
• Merz, C.J.*, Hamacher-Dang, T.C.* & Wolf, O.T. (2014). Exposure to stress attenuates fear retrieval in healthy men. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 41, 89-96.
• Merz, C.J., Hermann, A., Stark, R. & Wolf, O.T. (2014). Cortisol modifies extinction learning of recently acquired fear in men. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 9, 1426-1434.
• Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Merz, C. J., Kagerer, S., Walter, B., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2013). Learning to like disgust: Neuronal correlates of counterconditioning. Front Hum Neurosci, 7, 346.
• Merz, C. J., Wolf, O. T., Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2013). Stress differentially affects fear conditioning in men and women. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38, 2529-2541.
• Baioui, A., Pilgramm, J., Merz, C.J., Walter, B., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2013). Neural response in obsessive-compulsive washers depends on individual fit of triggers. Front Hum Neurosci, 7, 134.
• Klucken, T., Schweckendiek, J., Merz, C. J., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2013). Dissociation of neuronal electrodermal, and evaluative responses in disgust extinction. Beh Neurosci, 127, 380-386.
• Merz, C. J., Tabbert, K., Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Vaitl, D., Stark, R. & Wolf, O. T. (2012). Oral contraceptive usage alters the effects of cortisol on implicit fear learning. Horm Behav, 62, 531-538.
• Klucken, T., Wehrum, S., Schweckendiek, J., Merz, C. J., Hennig, J., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2013). The 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is associated with altered hemodynamic responses during appetitive conditioning. Hum Brain Mapp, 34, 2549-2560.
• Merz, C. J., Stark, R., Vaitl, D., Tabbert, K. & Wolf, O. T. (2013). Stress hormones are associated with the neuronal correlates of instructed fear conditioning. Biol Psychol, 92, 82-89.
• Klucken, T., Alexander, N., Schweckendiek, J., Merz, C. J., Kagerer, S., Osinsky, R., Walter, B., Vaitl, D., Hennig, J. & Stark, R. (2013). Individual differences in neural correlates of fear conditioning as a function of 5-HTTLPR and stressful life events. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 8, 315-321.
• Klucken, T., Schweckendiek, J., Koppe, G., Merz, C. J., Kagerer, S., Walter, B., Sammer, G., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2012). Neural correlates of disgust- and fear-conditioned responses. Neuroscience, 201, 209-218.
• Merz, C. J., Tabbert, K., Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Vaitl, D., Stark, R. & Wolf, O. T. (2012). Neuronal correlates of extinction learning are modulated by sex hormones. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 7, 819-830.
• Schwabe, L., Merz, C. J., Walter, B., Vaitl, D., Wolf, O. T. & Stark, R. (2011). Emotional modulation of the attentional blink: The neural structures involved in capturing and holding attention. Neuropsychologia. 49, 416-425.
• Stark, R., Bauer, E., Merz, C. J., Zimmermann, M., Reuter, M., Plichta, M. M., Kirsch, P., Lesch, K.-P., Fallgatter, A. J., Vaitl, D. & Hermann, M. (2011). ADHD related behaviors are associated with brain activation in the reward system. Neuropsychologia. 49, 426-434.
• Tabbert, K., Merz, C. J., Klucken, T., Schweckendiek, J., Vaitl, D., Wolf, O. T. & Stark, R. (2010). Cortisol enhances neural differentiation during fear acquisition and extinction in contingency aware young women. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 94, 392-401.
• Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Merz, C. J., Tabbert, K., Walter, B., Ambach, W., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2011). Weaving the (neuronal) web: Fear learning in spider phobia. Neuroimage. 54, 681-688.
• Tabbert, K., Merz, C. J., Klucken, T., Schweckendiek, J., Vaitl, D., Wolf, O. T. & Stark, R. (2011). Influence of contingency awareness on neural, electrodermal, and evaluative responses during fear conditioning. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 6, 495-506.
• Merz, C. J., Wolf, O. T. & Hennig, J. (2010). Stress impairs retrieval of socially relevant information. Beh Neurosci. 124, 288-293.
• Merz, C. J., Tabbert, K., Schweckendiek, J., Klucken, T., Vaitl, D., Stark, R. & Wolf, O. T. (2010). Investigating the impact of sex and cortisol on implicit fear conditioning with fMRI. Psychoneuroendocrinology 35, 33-46.
• Klucken, T., Schweckendiek J., Merz, C. J., Tabbert, K., Kagerer, S., Walter, B., Vaitl, D. & Stark, R. (2009). Neural activations of the acquisition of conditioned sexual arousal: Effects of contingency awareness and sex. J Sex Med. 6, 3071-3085.
• Klucken, T., Tabbert, K., Schweckendiek, J., Merz, C.J., Kagerer, S., Vaitl, D., & Stark, R. (2009). Contingency learning in human fear conditioning involves the ventral striatum. Hum Brain Mapp. 30, 3636-3644.

* shared authorship

Book Chapters:

• Merz, C.J., Elzinga, B.M. & Schwabe, L. (2016). Stress, fear, and memory in healthy individuals. In J.D. Bremner (Hrsg.), Post-traumatic stress disorder: From neurobiology to treatment. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Merz, C.J., Wolf, O.T. (2015). Stress and emotional learning in humans: Evidence for sex differences. In R. Shansky (Hrsg.), Sex Differences in the Central Nervous System. London, San Diego, Waltham, Oxford: Academic Press.

• 2020: International Scientific Event Grant (DFG, ME 3831/6-1)
  to organize the “12th European Meeting on Human Fear Conditioning (EMHFC) 2020" in Bochum
• 2019: DFG Research Grant (ME3831/5-1)
  “Genomic and non-genomic cortisol effects on memory retrieval dependent on sex hormone status”
• 2018: Scholarship for Conference Participation (DAAD)
  „30th Winter Conference on Neural Plasticity“, Curaçao
• 2017: DFG Research Grant, Subproject of SFB 1280 “Extinction Learning”
  “The impact of stress and stress hormones on extinction, renewal, reinstatement and reconsolidation”, Joint Application with O. T. Wolf
• 2017: Project Funds, eLearning Contest 5x5000 (Center for Teaching and Learning, Ruhr University Bochum)
  „RightCite: Richtiges Zitieren und Umgang mit Plagiaten“, Joint Application with S. Brandhorst, S. Hahn, M. Krause, K. Lucht-Roussel, M. Luhmann, C. Peifer, J. Rose, A. Schüffler & M. Theile
• 2016: Research Grant, Mercator Research Center Ruhr (MERCUR)
  “The influence of stress on retrieval of socially relevant fear memories”
• 2016: Teaching Award (Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum)
  Best Seminar in M.Sc. Psychology
• 2015: Teaching Award (Students Representatives, Faculty of Psychology, Trier University)
  Best Lecture and Best Seminar in B.Sc. Psychology
• 2015: Event Award (Ruhr University Bochum)
  to organize the “7th European Meeting on Human Fear Conditioning“
• 2015: DFG Research Grant (LO 1980/2-1)
  “Research network for the (European) Interdisciplinary study of Fear and Extinction Learning as well as the Return of Fear (EIFEL-ROF)“, Joint Application with T. Lonsdorf; 2020: Commendation from the Society for Improving Psychological Science; SIPS
• 2014: Scholarship for Conference Participation (DAAD)
  “44th annual ISPNE conference", Montreal
• 2013: DFG Research Grant, Subproject of FOR 1581 "Extinction Learning: Neural Mechanisms, Behavioural Manifestations, and Clinical Implications" (WO733/13-2)
  "Effects of the stress hormone cortisol on extinction retrieval: In search of the neural correlates", Joint Application with O.T. Wolf
• 2012: DFG Research Grant (ME 3831/4-1)
  “Neurobiology of context-dependent extinction learning: Modulation by multiple extinction contexts and cortisol”, Joint Application with A. Hermann
• 2012: Scholarship for Conference Participation (DAAD)
  "Neuroscience 2012", New Orleans
• 2012: Research Grant (Justus Liebig University Giessen)
  Neuronal basis of generalization of extinction learning“, Joint Application with A. Hermann
• 2011: Young Investigator Award (International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology)
• 2011: Scholarship for participation at the Spring School (DGPA)
  "Genes, brain, and behavior: From personality to psychopathology", St. Goar
• 2009: Research Grant (Women’s Representative of the Justus Liebig University Giessen)
  “Neurobiological bases of social anxiety in women”, Joint Application with A. Hermann

German Psychological Society (DGPs)

• since 2016: Member of the Ethics Committee
• Section General Psychology
• Section Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
• Section Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology
• Interest Group Biopsychology and Neurosciences in Clinical Psychology
• Interest Group Open and Reproducible Research in the Section Biological Psychology and Neuropyschology (Founding Member)

German Society for Psychophysiology and its Applications (DGPA)

• 2015-2016: Committee Member of the Board and Speaker of the Young Scientists

International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology (ISPNE)

Research Funding Programs

• German Research Foundation (DFG)
• German-American Fulbright Commission
• German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD))
• European Research Council (ERC)
• Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF))
• Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
• Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)

Consulting Editor

• Biological Psychology

Peer-Reviewed Journals

Acta psychologica; American Journal of Psychiatry; Behavioural Brain Research; Behavioral Neuroscience; Behavior Research Methods; Behaviour Research and Therapy; Biological Psychiatry; Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging; Biological Psychology; BMC Women's Health; Brain Imaging and Behavior; Brain Sciences; Clinical Psychological Science; Cognitive, Affective and Behvioral Neuroscience; Contraception; Depression and Anxiety; European Neuropsychopharmacology; Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience; Hormones and Behavior; Human Brain Mapping; International Journal of Psychophysiology; Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry; Journal of Experimental Psychology; Journal of Individual Differenes; Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Journal of Neuroscience; Journal of Neuroscience Research; Journal of Vision; Memory; Memory & Cognition; Motivation and Emotion; Nature Communications; Nature Protocols; Neurobiology of Learning and Memory; Neurobiology of Stress; Neuroimage; Neuropsychobiology; Neuropsychologia; Neuropsychopharmacology; Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, Physiology and Behavior; PLOS ONE; Psychological Medicine; Psychological Reports; Psychoneuroendocrinology; Psychopathology Review; Psychopharmacology; Psychophysiology; Science Advances; Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience; Social Neuroscience; Stress; The Cerebellum; Thinking and Reasoning; Translational Psychiatry; Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie.

Current Teaching Activities:

• Seminar "Stress and Cognition"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
• Seminar  "Cognition I: Perception, Attention, Memory"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum

Past Teaching Activities:

• Practical Course in Experimental Psychology "Context and Memory"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
• Seminar "Cognition II: Language, Thinking, Problem Solving"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
• Pracitcal Course in Experimental Psychology "Stress and Memory"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
• Seminar "Learning and Memory Processes under Stress I + II"
  B.Sc./M.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Lecture "Biopsychology I"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Lecture "Biopsychology II"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Colloquium "Biological and Clinical Psychology"
  B.Sc./M.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Seminar "Focus in Basics: Biopsychology"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Seminar "Selected Problems: Neurobiology of Mental Disorders"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Seminar "Research-Oriented Focus: Neurobiology of Mental Disorders"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Trier University
• Seminar "Hormonal Aspects of Mental Disorders"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Practical Course "Professional Field"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Seminar "Stress and Memory"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Seminar "Obsessive-Compulsive Disordes"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Teaching Research Project
  M.Sc. Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Seminar "Cognitive Neurosciences: Emotional Learning"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
• Seminar "Biological Psychology"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Seminar "Psychoneuroendocrinology, Hormones and Behavior"
  M.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum
• Seminar "Conditioning Processes in Cognitive Neurosciences"
  B.Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum