Interhemispheric transfer time correlates with white matter integrity of the corpus callosum in healthy older adults.

The corpus callosum (CC) has been identified as an important structure in the context of cognitive aging (Fling et al., 2011). Interhemispheric transfer time (IHTT) is regularly used in order to estimate interhemispheric integration enabled by the CC (Marzi, 2010; Nowicka and Tacikowski, 2011).

The relationship between interhemispheric transfer time and physical activity as well as cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy older adults.

The structural and functional degradation of the corpus callosum (CC) has been shown to play an important role in the context of cognitive aging (Reuter-Lorenz and Stanczak, 2000). This is also reflected by findings of elongated interhemispheric transfer time (IHTT) in older adults (Riedel et al., 2022).

The impact of aging on interhemispheric transfer time and respective sex differences.

Age-related cognitive decline has been attributed to degeneration of the corpus callosum (CC), which allows for interhemispheric integration and information processing [22,69]. Along with decreased structural integrity, altered functional properties of the CC may cause impaired cognitive performance in older adults, yet this aspect of age-related decline remains insufficiently researched [59]. In this context, potential sex-related differences have been proposed [31,58].

Clinical and functional characterisation of a recurrent KCNQ1 variant in the Belgian population.

Background: The c.1124_1127delTTCA p.(Ile375Argfs*43) pathogenic variant is the most frequently identified molecular defect in the KCNQ1 gene in the cardiogenetics clinic of the Antwerp University Hospital.

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Functional Connectivity Predicts Working Memory Training Gains.

Normal aging is associated with working memory decline. A decrease in working memory performance is associated with age-related changes in functional activation patterns in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Cognitive training can improve cognitive performance in healthy older adults.

The Impact of Age on the Association Between Physical Activity and White Matter Integrity in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults.

Cognition emerges from coordinated processing among distributed cortical brain regions, enabled through interconnected white matter networks. Cortical disconnection caused by age-related decline in white matter integrity (WMI) is likely to contribute to age-related cognitive decline. Physical activity (PA) has been suggested to have beneficial effects on white matter structure.

Improving Challenge/Skill Ratio in a Multimodal Interface by Simultaneously Adapting Game Difficulty and Haptic Assistance through Psychophysiological and Performance Feedback.

In order to harmonize robotic devices with human beings, the robots should be able to perceive important psychosomatic impact triggered by emotional states such as frustration or boredom. This paper presents a new type of biocooperative control architecture, which acts toward improving the challenge/skill relation perceived by the user when interacting with a robotic multimodal interface in a cooperative scenario. In the first part of the paper, open-loop experiments revealed which physiological signals were optimal for inclusion in the feedback loop.

Human-Robot Interaction: Does Robotic Guidance Force Affect Gait-Related Brain Dynamics during Robot-Assisted Treadmill Walking?

In order to determine optimal training parameters for robot-assisted treadmill walking, it is essential to understand how a robotic device interacts with its wearer, and thus, how parameter settings of the device affect locomotor control. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different levels of guidance force during robot-assisted treadmill walking on cortical activity. Eighteen healthy subjects walked at 2 km.

Temporal and spatial organization of gait-related electrocortical potentials.

To advance gait rehabilitation research it is of great importance to understand the supraspinal control of walking. In this study, the temporal and spatial characteristics of averaged electrocortical activity during treadmill walking in healthy subjects was assessed. Electroencephalography data were recorded from 32 scalp locations, averaged across trials, and related to phases of the gait cycle based on the detection of left heel strike.

Robot-assisted walking with the Lokomat: the influence of different levels of guidance force on thorax and pelvis kinematics.

Background: Little attention has been devoted to the thorax and pelvis movements during gait. The aim of this study is to compare differences in the thorax and pelvis kinematics during unassisted walking on a treadmill and during walking with robot assistance (Lokomat-system (Hocoma, Volketswil, Switzerland)).

Methods: 18 healthy persons walked on a treadmill with and without the Lokomat system at 2kmph.

Psychophysiological response to cognitive workload during symmetrical, asymmetrical and dual-task walking.

Walking with a lower limb prosthesis comes at a high cognitive workload for amputees, possibly affecting their mobility, safety and independency. A biocooperative prosthesis which is able to reduce the cognitive workload of walking could offer a solution. Therefore, we wanted to investigate whether different levels of cognitive workload can be assessed during symmetrical, asymmetrical and dual-task walking and to identify which parameters are the most sensitive.

Effects of caffeine and maltodextrin mouth rinsing on P300, brain imaging, and cognitive performance.

Caffeine (CAF) and maltodextrin (MALT) mouth rinses (MR) improve exercise performance. The current experiment aims to determine the effect of CAF and MALT MR on cognitive performance and brain activity. Ten healthy male subjects (age 27 ± 3 yr) completed three experimental trials.

Body weight support during robot-assisted walking: influence on the trunk and pelvis kinematics.

Background: Efficacy studies concerning robot assisted gait rehabilitation showed limited clinical benefits. A changed kinematic pattern might be responsible for this. Little is known about the kinematics of the trunk and pelvis during robot assisted treadmill walking (RATW).

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor as a driving force behind neuroplasticity in neuropathic and central sensitization pain: a new therapeutic target?

Introduction: Central sensitization is a form of maladaptive neuroplasticity underlying many chronic pain disorders, including neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, whiplash, headache, chronic pelvic pain syndrome and some forms of osteoarthritis, low back pain, epicondylitis, shoulder pain and cancer pain. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a driving force behind neuroplasticity, and it is therefore crucial for neural maintenance and repair. However, BDNF also contributes to sensitization of pain pathways, making it an interesting novel therapeutic target.

Human-robot interaction: kinematics and muscle activity inside a powered compliant knee exoskeleton.

Until today it is not entirely clear how humans interact with automated gait rehabilitation devices and how we can, based on that interaction, maximize the effectiveness of these exoskeletons. The goal of this study was to gain knowledge on the human-robot interaction, in terms of kinematics and muscle activity, between a healthy human motor system and a powered knee exoskeleton (i.e.

Walking with robot assistance: the influence of body weight support on the trunk and pelvis kinematics.

Purpose: The goal was to assess in healthy participants the three-dimensional kinematics of the pelvis and the trunk during robot-assisted treadmill walking (RATW) at 0%, 30% and 50% body weight support (BWS), compared with treadmill walking (TW).

Methods: 18 healthy participants walked (2 kmph) on a treadmill with and without robot assistance (Lokomat; 60% guidance force; 0%, 30% and 50% BWS). After an acclimatisation period (four minutes), trunk and pelvis kinematics were registered in each condition (Polhemus Liberty [240 Hz]).

Brain mapping after prolonged cycling and during recovery in the heat.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of prolonged intensive cycling and postexercise recovery in the heat on brain sources of altered brain oscillations. After a max test and familiarization trial, nine trained male subjects (23 ± 3 yr; maximal oxygen uptake = 62.1 ± 5.

Does a period of detraining cause a decrease in serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor?

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the neurotrophins promoting cognitive function and contributing to neurogenesis and neuroprotection. Available evidence suggests that exercise influences serum BDNF concentrations, but that the effect is transient. The purpose of this study is to determine whether a period of aerobic training, followed by a period of detraining, can influence basal serum BDNF levels in humans.

Neuroplasticity - exercise-induced response of peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor: a systematic review of experimental studies in human subjects.

Exercise is known to induce a cascade of molecular and cellular processes that support brain plasticity. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an essential neurotrophin that is also intimately connected with central and peripheral molecular processes of energy metabolism and homeostasis, and could play a crucial role in these induced mechanisms. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on the effects of acute exercise and/or training on BDNF in healthy subjects and in persons with a chronic disease or disability.

Low-back problems in recreational self-contained underwater breathing apparatus divers: prevalence and specific risk factors.

Low-back problems (LBP) are one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in the general population, with reported lifetime prevalences of 50% to 80%. Also, certain sports participants (e.g.

Y-chromosomal STR haplotypes in a Belgian population sample and identification of a micro-variant with a flanking site mutation at DYS19.

Allele frequencies and haplotypes for 12 Y-chromosomal STR loci included in the Powerplex System (Promega, Madison, USA) were determined in a sample of 113 unrelated males of Belgian origin. Ninety-nine different haplotypes were observed with an overall haplotype diversity of 0.997.