Researchers from the LOEWE Centre DYNAMIC participated in the Psychology and Brain Conference held in Heidelberg, from June 3–6. The conference brought together researchers from around the world and covered a broad range of topics, spanning the neurobiological foundations of behavior and experience to applied psychological research.

As part of the conference, DYNAMIC researchers organized a symposium entitled “Learning and Updating in Psychopathology: From Brain Dynamics to Symptom Changes.” Chaired by Prof. Dr. Yee Lee Shing, the symposium highlighted current research on reinforcement learning as a key neurocomputational process linking brain function, physiology, behavior, and mental health outcomes.

The symposium featured presentations by Nick Augustat (Philipps University Marburg), Manuel Brenner (Ernst Strüngmann Institute Frankfurt), Benjamin Straube (Philipps University Marburg), Franziska Usée (Philipps University Marburg), and Julie Nehler (Goethe University Frankfurt).

The contributions covered a wide range of approaches and levels of analysis. Presentations addressed machine-learning methods to uncover temporal dynamics underlying brain function and mental health, the role of reinforcement learning processes in placebo effects and treatment expectations, neural mechanisms underlying symptom change during exposure therapy, psychophysiological dynamics associated with anxiety and panic symptoms, and developmental associations between reinforcement learning and psychopathology in youth.

The symposium was well attended and sparked engaging discussions among researchers from diverse sites and backgrounds. The lively exchange highlighted both the potential of reinforcement learning frameworks for understanding psychopathology and the importance of integrating neurobiological, physiological, and behavioral perspectives in mental health. The LOEWE Centre DYNAMIC continues to contribute to the international scientific community and to foster collaborations advancing our understanding of dynamic mechanisms underlying mental health and mental disorders.