Université de Fribourg

Training‐, muscle‐ and task‐specific up‐ and downregulation of cortical inhibitory processes

Taube, Wolfgang ; Gollhofer, Albert ; Lauber, Benedikt

In: European Journal of Neuroscience, 2020, vol. 51, no. 6, p. 1428–1440

Motor cortical contribution was shown to be important for balance control and for ballistic types of movements. However, little is known about the role of cortical inhibitory mechanisms and even less about long(er)‐term adaptations of these inhibitory processes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of intracortical inhibition before and after four weeks of ...

Université de Fribourg

Countermovement jump training is more effective than drop jump training in enhancing jump height in non-professional female volleyball players

Ruffieux, Jan ; Wälchli, Michael ; Kim, Kyung-Min ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Frontiers in Physiology, 2020, vol. 11, p. -

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump (DJ) training on the volleyball-specific jumping ability of non-professional female volleyball players. For that purpose, 26 female volleyball players (15–32 years) were assigned to either a CMJ (20.4 ± 3.1 years, 171.0 ± 3.0 cm) or a DJ training group (22.0 ± 4.4 years, 168.2 ± 5.0 cm), ...

Université de Fribourg

Intracortical inhibition increases during postural task execution in response to balance training

Mouthon, Audrey ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Neuroscience, 2019, vol. 401, p. 35–42

Intracortical inhibitory modulation seems crucial for an intact motor control and motor learning. However, the influence of long(er) term training on short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) is scarcely investigated. With respect to balance, it was previously shown that with increasing postural task difficulty, SICI decreased but the effect of balance training (BT) is unknown. The...

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

Ice skating promotes postural control in children

Keller, Martin ; Röttger, K. ; Taube, Wolfgang

In: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2014, vol. 24, no. 6, p. e456-461

High fall rates causing injury and enormous financial costs are reported for children. However, only few studies investigated the effects of balance training in children and these studies did not find enhanced balance performance in postural (transfer) tests. Consequently, it was previously speculated that classical balance training might not be stimulating enough for children to adequately...

Université de Fribourg

The drop height determines neuromuscular adaptations and changes in jump performance in stretch-shortening cycle training

Taube, Wolfgang ; Leukel, Christian ; Lauber, B. ; Gollhofer, Albert

In: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2011, p. -

There is an ongoing discussion about how to improve jump performance most efficiently with plyometric training. It has been proposed that drop height influences the outcome, although longitudinal studies are missing. Based on cross-sectional drop jump studies showing height-dependent Hoffmann (H)-reflex activities, we hypothesized that the drop height should influence the neuromuscular...