A consensus guide to using functional near-infrared spectroscopy in posture and gait research.

Background: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly used in the field of posture and gait to investigate patterns of cortical brain activation while people move freely. fNIRS methods, analysis and reporting of data vary greatly across studies which in turn can limit the replication of research, interpretation of findings and comparison across works.

Research Question And Methods: Considering these issues, we propose a set of practical recommendations for the conduct and reporting of fNIRS studies in posture and gait, acknowledging specific challenges related to clinical groups with posture and gait disorders.

Exergaming for people with major neurocognitive disorder: a qualitative study.

Purpose: This study investigated the experiences of participation in a standing balance exergame program amongst people with major neurocognitive disorder (MNCD) within residential care settings.

Materials And Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted in participants with MNCD recruited from two residential settings. Participants exergamed for 15 min, three times per week for 8 weeks.

Heart Rate Variability Mainly Relates to Cognitive Executive Functions and Improves Through Exergame Training in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of a 6-Month Randomized Controlled Trial.

Heart rate variability (HRV) mirrors autonomic nervous system activities and might serve as a parameter to monitor health status in older adults. However, it is currently unknown which functional health measures, including cognitive, physical, and gait performance parameters, are most strongly related to HRV indices. This knowledge would enable implementing HRV assessments into health monitoring routines and training planning for older adults.

Effect of electrical stimulation of receptive fields in people with lower limb amputation on variables of gait.

People with amputation may perceive phantom limb sensations or pain in the amputated body part when ipsilateral body-regions are stimulated. These body-regions are called receptive fields. This study assessed whether receptive fields change in size and position over the course of one month in people with trans-tibial amputation and whether electrical stimulation of these fields in synchrony with walking affects phantom sensations and variables of gait.

Exergaming With Integrated Head Turn Tasks Improves Compensatory Saccade Pattern in Some Patients With Chronic Peripheral Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction.

This study aimed to determine whether vestibular rehabilitation using active video games (Exergames), including promoted head turns and unsupported locomotion, may facilitate vestibular compensation and gait in subjects with one-sided chronic peripheral vestibular hypofunction (cPVH). 12 patients with cPVH (mean age of 65 ± 12 years, 8 male) were recruited for this study. The study consisted of a four-week baseline control period T1-T2 followed by a four-week intervention period T2-T3.

Somatosensory Influence on Platform-Induced Translational Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex in Vertical Direction in Humans.

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) consists of two components, the rotational VOR (rVOR) elicited by semicircular canal signals and the translational VOR (tVOR) elicited by otolith signals. Given the relevant role of the vertical tVOR in human walking, this study aimed at measuring the time delay of eye movements in relation to whole-body vertical translations in natural standing position. Twenty (13 females and 7 males) healthy, young subjects (mean 25 years) stood upright on a motor-driven platform and were exposed to sinusoidal movements while fixating a LED, positioned at a distance of 50 cm in front of the eyes.

Greater Short-Time Recovery of Peripheral Fatigue After Short- Compared With Long-Duration Time Trial.

The kinetics of recovery from neuromuscular fatigue resulting from exercise time trials (TTs) of different durations are not well-known. The aim of this study was to determine if TTs of three different durations would result in different short-term recovery in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and evoked peak forces. Twelve trained subjects performed repetitive concentric right knee extensions on an isokinetic dynamometer self-paced to last 3, 10, and 40 min (TTs).

Exercise-Induced Circulating Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Well-Trained Subjects.

It has been proposed that exercise-induced systemic oxidative stress increases circulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HPC) number in active participants, while HPC clonogenicity is reduced post-exercise. However, HPCs could be protected against exercise-induced reactive oxygen species in a trained state. Therefore, we characterized the acute exercise-induced HPC profile of well-trained participants including cell number, clonogenicity, and clearance.

Resistance training preserves high-intensity interval training induced improvements in skeletal muscle capillarization of healthy old men: a randomized controlled trial.

Skeletal muscle capillarization is a determining factor in gas and metabolite exchange, while its impairments may contribute to the development of sarcopenia. Studies on the potential of resistance training (RT) to induce angiogenesis in older muscles have been inconclusive, and effects of sequential endurance training (ET) and RT on capillarization are unknown. Healthy older men (66.

Save Muscle Information-Unfiltered EEG Signal Helps Distinguish Sleep Stages.

Based on the well-established biopotential theory, we hypothesize that the high frequency spectral information, like that higher than 100Hz, of the EEG signal recorded in the off-the-shelf EEG sensor contains muscle tone information. We show that an existing automatic sleep stage annotation algorithm can be improved by taking this information into account. This result suggests that if possible, we should sample the EEG signal with a high sampling rate, and preserve as much spectral information as possible.

Lack of APP and APLP2 in GABAergic Forebrain Neurons Impairs Synaptic Plasticity and Cognition.

Amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) is central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, yet its physiological functions remain incompletely understood. Previous studies had indicated important synaptic functions of APP and the closely related homologue APLP2 in excitatory forebrain neurons for spine density, synaptic plasticity, and behavior. Here, we show that APP is also widely expressed in several interneuron subtypes, both in hippocampus and cortex.

Corticospinal Control of Human Locomotion as a New Determinant of Age-Related Sarcopenia: An Exploratory Study.

Sarcopenia is a muscle disease listed within the ICD-10 classification. Several operational definitions have been created for sarcopenia screening; however, an international consensus is lacking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently recognized that sarcopenia detection requires improved diagnosis and screening measures.

Characterization of overnight slow-wave slope changes across development in an age-, amplitude-, and region-dependent manner.

Study Objectives: The restorative function of sleep has been linked to a net reduction in synaptic strength. The slope of slow-waves, a major characteristic of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, has been shown to directly reflect synaptic strength, when accounting for amplitude changes across the night. In this study, we aimed to investigate overnight slope changes in the course of development in an age-, amplitude-, and region-dependent manner.

Let the Body'n'Brain Games Begin: Toward Innovative Training Approaches in eSports Athletes.

The phenomenon of eSports is omnipresent today. International championships and their competitive athletes thrill millions of spectators who watch as eSports athletes and their teams try to improve and outperform each other. In order to achieve the necessary cognitive and physical top form and to counteract general health problems caused by several hours of training in front of the PC or console, eSports athletes need optimal cognitive, physical and mental training.

Acute Exercise in Hypobaric Hypoxia Attenuates Endothelial Shedding in Subjects Unacclimatized to High Altitudes.

Travel of unacclimatized subjects to a high altitude has been growing in popularity. Changes in endothelial shedding [circulating endothelial cells (ECs)] and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (CPCs) during physical exercise in hypobaric hypoxia, however, are not well understood. We investigated the change in ECs and CPCs when exposed to high altitude, after acute exercise therein, and after an overnight stay in hypobaric hypoxia in 11 healthy unacclimatized subjects.

A pilot study assessing reliability and age-related differences in corticomuscular and intramuscular coherence in ankle dorsiflexors during walking.

Corticomuscular (CMC) and intramuscular (intraMC) coherence represent measures of corticospinal interaction. Both CMC and intraMC can be assessed during human locomotion tasks, for example, while walking. Corticospinal control of gait can deteriorate during the aging process and CMC and intraMC may represent an important monitoring means.

Effects of an In-home Multicomponent Exergame Training on Physical Functions, Cognition, and Brain Volume of Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Aging is associated with a decline in physical functions, cognition and brain structure. Considering that human life is based on an inseparable physical-cognitive interplay, combined physical-cognitive training through exergames is a promising approach to counteract age-related impairments. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of an in-home multicomponent exergame training on [i] physical and cognitive functions and [ii] brain volume of older adults compared to a usual care control group.

Hypoxic-inflammatory responses under acute hypoxia: In Vitro experiments and prospective observational expedition trial.

Induction of hypoxia-inducible-factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway and HIF-target genes allow adaptation to hypoxia and are associated with reduced incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Little is known about HIF-pathways in conjunction with inflammation or exercise stimuli under acute hypobaric hypoxia in non-acclimatized individuals. We therefore tested the hypotheses that 1) both hypoxic and inflammatory stimuli induce hypoxic-inflammatory signaling pathways in vitro, 2) similar results are seen in vivo under hypobaric hypoxia, and 3) induction of HIF-dependent genes is associated with AMS in 11 volunteers.

A usability study of a multicomponent video game-based training for older adults.

Background: Aging is often accompanied by a decline in sensory, motor and cognitive functions. These age- and lifestyle-related impairments may lead to reduced daily life functioning including gait disturbances, falling and injuries. Most daily life activities, e.

Age-related hearing loss associated with altered response efficiency and variability on a visual sustained attention task.

This study investigated the association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and differences in response efficiency and variability on a sustained attention task. The study population comprised 32 participants in a hearing loss group (HLG) and 34 controls without hearing loss (CG). Mean reaction time (RT) and accuracy were recorded to assess response efficiency.

Neurophysiological substrates of configural face perception in schizotypy.

Face perception is a highly developed function of the human visual system. Previous studies of event-related potentials (ERPs) have identified a face-selective ERP component (negative peak at about 170 ms after stimulus onset, N170) in healthy participants. In contrast, patients with schizophrenia exhibit reduced amplitude of the N170, which may represent a pathological deficit in the neurophysiology of face perception.

Validation of a Motor-Cognitive Assessment for a Stepping Exergame in Older Adults: Use of Game-Specific, Internal Data Stream.

To comprehensively validate an assessment tailored to an exergaming training program with motor-cognitive challenges. Fifty-eight cognitively intact, multimorbid, independently living older adults (mean age [standard deviation]: 78.3 [6.

Circulating adult stem and progenitor cell numbers-can results be trusted?

Background: Within the last years, the interest in physical exercise as non-invasive stimulus influencing circulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (CPC) concentrations has constantly grown. Cell estimates are often derived by determining the subgroup of CPC as percent lymphocytes (LYM) or mononuclear cells (MNC) via flow cytometry and back calculation over whole blood (WB) cell counts. However, results might depend on the used cell isolation technique and/or gating strategy.

Playing Exergames Facilitates Central Drive to the Ankle Dorsiflexors During Gait in Older Adults; a Quasi-Experimental Investigation.

Purpose: Gait training might be of particular importance to reduce fall risk in older adults. In the present study we explore the hypothesis that video game-based training will increase tibialis anterior (TA) muscle EMG-EMG coherence and relates to functional measures of lower limb control.

Methods: We focus on video game-based training performed in standing position, where the subjects have to lift their toes to place their feet on different target zones in order to successfully play the game.

Pediatric Rehabilitation Therapies Differ in Intensity: A Pilot Study to Highlight the Implications for Dose-Response Relationships.

Objective: When investigating dose-response relationships in rehabilitation studies, dose is often equated with duration of therapy. However, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, dose consists of the factors frequency, intensity, time, and type. Thereby, especially quantification of intensity needs improvement to have a more precise estimate of the dose.