Université de Fribourg

Age-related decrease in motor cortical inhibition during standing under different sensory conditions

Papegaaij, Selma ; Taube, Wolfgang ; Hogenhout, Margot ; Baudry, Stéphane ; Hortobágyi, Tibor

In: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2014, vol. 6, p. 126

Background: Although recent studies point to the involvement of the primary motor cortex in postural control, it is unknown if age-related deterioration of postural control is associated with changes in motor cortical circuits. We examined the interaction between age and sensory condition in the excitability of intracortical motor pathways as indexed by short-interval intracortical inhibition...

Université de Fribourg

Aging causes a reorganization of cortical and spinal control of posture

Papegaaij, Selma ; Taube, Wolfgang ; Baudry, Stéphane ; Otten, Egbert ; Hortobágyi, Tibor

In: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2014, vol. 6, p. 28

Classical studies in animal preparations suggest a strong role for spinal control of posture. In humans it is now established that the cerebral cortex contributes to postural control of unperturbed and perturbed standing. The age-related degeneration and accompanying functional changes in the brain, reported so far mainly in conjunction with simple manual motor tasks, may also affect the...

Université de Fribourg

Intracortical inhibition in the soleus muscle is reduced during the control of upright standing in both young and old adults

Papegaaij, Selma ; Baudry, Stéphane ; Négyesi, János ; Taube, Wolfgang ; Hortobágyi, Tibor

In: European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2016, vol. 116, no. 5, p. 959–967

Purpose: In a previous study, we reported that a short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) decreases in old but not in young adults when standing on foam vs. a rigid surface. Here, we examined if such an age by task difficulty interaction in motor cortical excitability also occurs in easier standing tasks.Methods: Fourteen young (23 ± 2.7 years) and fourteen old (65 ± 4.1 years)...

Université de Fribourg

Postural challenge affects motor cortical activity in young and old adults

Papegaaij, Selma ; Taube, Wolfgang ; Keeken, Helco G. van ; Otten, Egbert ; Baudry, Stéphane ; Hortobágyi, Tibor

In: Experimental Gerontology, 2016, vol. 73, p. 78–85

When humans voluntarily activate a muscle, intracortical inhibition decreases. Such a decrease also occurs in the presence of a postural challenge and more so with increasing age. Here, we examined age-related changes in motor cortical activity during postural and non-postural contractions with varying levels of postural challenge. Fourteen young (age 22) and twelve old adults (age 70) performed...