Université de Fribourg

Adopting an external focus of attention alters intracortical inhibition within the primary motor cortex

Kuhn, Yves-Alain ; Keller, Martin ; Ruffieux, Jan ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Acta Physiologica, 2017, vol. 220, no. 2, p. 289–299

Although it is well established that an external (EF) compared to an internal (IF) or neutral focus of attention enhances motor performance, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. This study aimed to clarify whether the focus of attention influences not only motor performance but also activity of the primary motor cortex (M1) when executing identical fatiguing tasks of the...

Université de Fribourg

Age-dependent adaptations to anticipated and non-anticipated perturbations after balance training in children

Wälchli, Michael ; Keller, Martin ; Ruffieux, Jan ; Mouthon, Audrey ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Human Movement Science, 2018, vol. 59, p. 170–177

Postural control undergoes rapid changes during child development. However, the influence of balance training (BT) on the compensation of perturbations has not yet been investigated in children. For this purpose, young (6.7 ± 0.6 years) and old children (12.0 ± 0.4 years) were exposed to externally induced anticipated (direction known) and non-anticipated (direction unknown)...

Université de Fribourg

Age-related differences in cortical and subcortical activities during observation and motor imagery of dynamic postural tasks: an FMRI study

Mouthon, Audrey ; Ruffieux, Jan ; Mouthon, Michael ; Hoogewoud, Henri-Marcel ; Annoni, Jean-Marie ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Neural Plasticity, 2018, p. -

Age-related changes in brain activation other than in the primary motor cortex are not well known with respect to dynamic balance control. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore age-related differences in the control of static and dynamic postural tasks using fMRI during mental simulation of balance tasks. For this purpose, 16 elderly (72 ± 5 years) and 16 young adults...

Université de Fribourg

Age-related differences in corticospinal excitability during observation and motor imagery of balance tasks

Mouthon, Audrey A. ; Ruffieux, Jan ; Keller, Martin ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2016, vol. 8, p. -

Postural control declines across adult lifespan. Non-physical balance training has been suggested as an alternative to improve postural control in frail/immobilized elderly people. Previous studies showed that this kind of training can improve balance control in young and older adults. However, it is unclear whether the brain of young and older adults is activated differently during mental...

Université de Fribourg

Aging effects on prefrontal cortex oxygenation in a posture-cognition dual-task: an fNIRS pilot study

Marusic, Uros ; Taube, Wolfgang ; Morrison, Shawnda A. ; Biasutti, Lea ; Grassi, Bruno ; Pauw, Kevin De ; Meeusen, Romain ; Pisot, Rado ; Ruffieux, Jan

In: European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 2019, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 2

The aging process alters upright posture and locomotion control from an automatically processed to a more cortically controlled one. The present study investigated a postural-cognitive dual-task paradigm in young and older adults using functional Near- Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS).Methods: Twenty healthy participants (10 older adults 72 ± 3 y, 10 young adults 23 ± 3 y) performed a...

Université de Fribourg

Balance training reduces brain activity during motor simulation of a challenging balance task in older adults: an fMRI study

Ruffieux, Jan ; Mouthon, Audrey ; Keller, Martin ; Mouthon, Michaël ; Annoni, Jean-Marie ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2018, vol. 12, p. -

Aging is associated with a shift from an automatic to a more cortical postural control strategy, which goes along with deteriorations in postural stability. Although balance training has been shown to effectively counteract these behavioral deteriorations, little is known about the effect of balance training on brain activity during postural tasks in older adults. We, therefore, assessed...

Université de Fribourg

Behavioral and neural adaptations in response to five weeks of balance training in older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Ruffieux, Jan ; Mouthon, Audrey ; Keller, Martin ; Wälchli, Michael ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Journal of Negative Results in BioMedicine, 2017, vol. 16, p. 11

Background: While the positive effect of balance training on age-related impairments in postural stability is well-documented, the neural correlates of such training adaptations in older adults remain poorly understood. This study therefore aimed to shed more light on neural adaptations in response to balance training in older adults.Methods: Postural stability as well as spinal reflex and...

Université de Fribourg

Maximizing performance: augmented feedback, focus of attention, and/or reward?

Wälchli, Michael ; Ruffieux, Jan ; Bourquin, Yann ; Keller, Martin ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2016, vol. 48, no. 4, p. 714–719

Different approaches like providing augmented feedback (aF), applying an external focus of attention (EF), or rewarding participants with money (RE) have been shown to instantly enhance motor performance. So far, these approaches have been tested either in separate studies or directly against each other. However, there is no study that combined aF, EF, and/or RE to test whether this provokes...

Université de Fribourg

Preparatory cortical and spinal settings to counteract anticipated and non-anticipated perturbations

Wächli, Michael ; Tokuno, Craig D. ; Ruffieux, Jan ; Keller, Martin ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Neuroscience, 2017, vol. 365, no. Supplement C, p. 12–22

Little is known about how the central nervous system prepares postural responses differently in anticipated compared to non-anticipated perturbations. To investigate this, participants were exposed to translational and rotational perturbations presented in a blocked (anticipated) and a random (non-anticipated) design. The preparatory setting (‘central set’) was measured by H-reflexes,...