Citation

Giboin LS, Loewe K, Hassa T, Kramer A, Dettmers C, Spiteri S, Gruber M, Schoenfeld MA. Neuroimage 2019; 202: 116061.

Affiliation

Dept of Experimental Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany; Lurija Institute, Kliniken Schmieder Allensbach, Germany; Dept of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany; Kliniken Schmieder Heidelberg, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116061

PMID

31374329

Abstract

Humans develop posture and balance control during childhood. Interestingly, adults can also learn to master new complex balance tasks, but the underlying neural mechanisms are not fully understood yet. Here, we combined broad scale brain connectivity fMRI at rest and spinal excitability measurements during movement. Six weeks of slackline training improved the capability to walk on a slackline which was paralleled by functional connectivity changes in brain regions associated with posture and balance control and by task-specific changes of spinal excitability. Importantly, the performance of trainees was not better than control participants in a different, untrained balance task. In conclusion, slackline training induced large-scale neuroplasticity which solely transferred into highly task specific performance improvements.

Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

Functional connectivity; H-reflex; MRI; Motor learning; Rehabilitation