Reacting to the Unpleasant: Dynamics of the Human Defence Cascade

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The present project aims to examine the temporal dynamics of the human defence response to stressors. The time course of defensive responses has been well examined in animals, leading to the model of the so-called defence cascade, which specifies a typical sequence of affective and behavioral states, depending on the distance and intensity of the stressor. No such multivariate model of defence reactions is currently available in humans. Here, we propose to use a multi-level approach to examine effects of stressor intensity and stressor distance in space and time on the relevant parameters, namely peripheral physiology, brain processes, self-report, and action. Changes of the human defence cascade as a function of learning and experience will be studied in clinical and normal populations, using multiple session designs. As a long-term goal, we aim to explore how such changes of the defence cascade in turn affect individual-environment interactions on a larger scale. For instance, the shaped defence cascade may become visible in enhanced or reduced susceptibility to further stressors as well as altered response patterns in response to aversive stimuli. These factors may act to alter social behavior in higher-order aggregates, ultimately affecting macroscopic behavior variables such as style of social interaction.