Changes in the cortical GABAergic inhibitory system with ageing and ageing-related neurodegenerative diseases.

The human cortical inhibitory system is known to play a vital role for normal brain development, function, and plasticity. GABA is the most prominent inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS and is a key regulator not only for motor control and motor learning, but also for cognitive processes. With ageing and many neurodegenerative pathologies, a decline in GABAergic function in several cortical regions together with a reduced ability to task-specifically modulate and increase inhibition in the primary motor cortex has been observed.

Changes In the Brain with An External Focus of Attention: Neural Correlates.

Although it is well established that an external compared to an internal focus of attention enhances motor performance and learning, the underlying neural mechanisms remained relatively underexplored. Recent studies revealed that adopting different attentional strategies results in a differential cortico-motor organization. These findings hold great potential for applying attentional strategies for healthy subjects and populations that display motor deficiencies.

Participation in organised sports and longitudinal development of physical activity in Swiss youth: the population-based SOPHYA cohort.

Background: Maintaining physical activity throughout life is crucial for overall health and wellbeing. Yet the age-related decline in average physical activity, a natural phenomenon also observed in animals, poses a challenge. This study aimed to investigate whether participation in organised sports supported by the Swiss Youth+Sports (Y+S) programme is associated with sustaining or enhancing physical activity among children and adolescents during 5 years of follow-up.

Good vibes for the brain - Placebo versus real vibration in patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized cross-over study.

Background: Neck muscle vibration decreases pain and improves sensorimotor impairments in patients with chronic neck pain. However, the impact of placebo on these effects are still unclear.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of neck muscle vibration compared to placebo neck muscle vibration in patients with chronic neck pain.

Rebalance the Inhibitory System in the Elderly Brain: Influence of Balance Learning on GABAergic Inhibition and Functional Connectivity.

Aging involves complex processes that impact the structure, function, and metabolism of the human brain. Declines in both structural and functional integrity along with reduced local inhibitory tone in the motor areas, as indicated by reduced γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels, are often associated with compromised motor performance in elderly adults. Using multimodal neuroimaging techniques including magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), this study explores whether these age-related changes can be mitigated by motor learning.