@article{BenOthmanChaouachiChaouachietal.2019, author = {Ben Othman, Aymen and Chaouachi, Anis and Chaouachi, Mehdi and Makhlouf, Issam and Farthing, Jonathan P. and Granacher, Urs and Behm, David George}, title = {Dominant and nondominant leg press training induce similar contralateral and ipsilateral limb training adaptations with children}, series = {Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism}, volume = {44}, journal = {Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism}, number = {9}, publisher = {NRC Research Press}, address = {Ottawa}, issn = {1715-5312}, doi = {10.1139/apnm-2018-0766}, pages = {973 -- 984}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Cross-education has been extensively investigated with adults. Adult studies report asymmetrical cross-education adaptations predominately after dominant limb training. The objective of the study was to examine unilateral leg press (LP) training of the dominant or nondominant leg on contralateral and ipsilateral strength and balance measures. Forty-two youth (10-13 years) were placed (random allocation) into a dominant (n = 15) or nondominant (n = 14) leg press training group or nontraining control (n = 13). Experimental groups trained 3 times per week for 8 weeks and were tested pre-/post-training for ipsilateral and contralateral 1-repetition maximum (RM) horizontal LP, maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) of knee extensors (KE) and flexors (KF), countermovement jump (CMJ), triple hop test (THT), MVIC strength of elbow flexors (EF) and handgrip, as well as the stork and Y balance tests. Both dominant and nondominant LP training significantly (p < 0.05) increased both ipsilateral and contralateral lower body strength (LP 1RM (dominant: 59.6\%-81.8\%; nondominant: 59.5\%-96.3\%), KE MVIC (dominant: 12.4\%-18.3\%; nondominant: 8.6\%-18.6\%), KF MVIC (dominant: 7.9\%-22.3\%; nondominant: nonsignificant-3.8\%), and power (CMJ: dominant: 11.1\%-18.1\%; nondominant: 7.7\%-16.6\%)). The exception was that nondominant LP training demonstrated a nonsignificant change with the contralateral KF MVIC. Other significant improvements were with nondominant LP training on ipsilateral EF 1RM (6.2\%) and THT (9.6\%). There were no significant changes with EF and handgrip MVIC. The contralateral leg stork balance test was impaired following dominant LP training. KF MVIC exhibited the only significant relative post-training to pretraining (post-test/pre-test) ratio differences between dominant versus nondominant LP cross-education training effects. In conclusion, children exhibit symmetrical cross-education or global training adaptations with unilateral training of dominant or nondominant upper leg.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Chan2006, author = {Chan, Yuan-Shuo}, title = {Zum Zusammenhang zwischen posturaler Balance und kognitiven bzw. somatischen Faktoren}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-10237}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Balance ist als die koordinative F{\"a}higkeit anzusehen, die am meisten durch das Sinnes- und Nervensystem determiniert ist. Damit k{\"o}nnte sie als Indikator f{\"u}r Funktionseinschr{\"a}nkungen des Nervensystems - etwa bei Lernst{\"o}rungen - von Wert sein. Aussagen {\"u}ber Zusammenh{\"a}nge zwischen Balance und Kognition werden vielfach diskutiert, sind jedoch noch nicht hinreichend wissenschaftlich gesichert. Hieraus wird die zentrale Zielstellung der Arbeit abgeleitet, das Wissen {\"u}ber somatische und psychische Determinanten von Balance zu erweitern. Betrachtet werden daher bei Vorschulkindern m{\"o}gliche Zusammenh{\"a}nge mit dem Geschlecht, mit den anthropometrischen Parametern K{\"o}rperh{\"o}he und Fußgr{\"o}ße, mit Statikst{\"o}rungen des Beckens und der Intelligenzleistung. An der Studie nahmen insgesamt 201 drei- bzw. vierj{\"a}hrige Kinder sowie 148 f{\"u}nf- bzw. sechsj{\"a}hrige Kinder teil. Die Balancef{\"a}higkeit wurde mit Hilfe einer Kraftmomentenplattform sowie eines klinischen Tests erfasst und mit anthropometrischen Parametern, qualitativen statischen Befunden bzw. den Ergebnissen des BIVA-Intelligenztests nach SCHAARSCHMIDT verglichen. F{\"u}r die Auswertung der Balanceparameter wurden sowohl lineare als auch nichtlineare Verfahren eingesetzt, die zum Teil gegenl{\"a}ufige Trends in Bezug auf Zusammenh{\"a}nge lieferten. Im Ergebnis konnte ein starker Einfluss des Geschlechts nachgewiesen werden. M{\"a}dchen zeigten eine bessere Balanceleistung als Jungen sowohl bei 3-J{\"a}hrigen als auch bei 6-J{\"a}hrigen. Dies wird als Beleg f{\"u}r den geschlechtsspezifischen Vorsprung der sensomotorischen Entwicklung bei den M{\"a}dchen im Alter von 3 bis 6 Jahren angesehen. Außerdem gab es einige Hinweise auf einen Zusammenhang mit der K{\"o}rperh{\"o}he bzw. Fußl{\"a}nge. Ein Zusammenhang mit den Umstellungen des ersten Gestaltwandels wird vermutet. Die Daten sprechen f{\"u}r einen statistisch schwachen Einfluss von St{\"o}rungen der Beckenstatik (Beckenverwringung) auf die Balance bei den Kindern. Es wird vermutet, dass die Verrechnung Balance relevanter Inputs durch nozizeptive Impulse beeintr{\"a}chtig werden kann. Dies k{\"o}nnte Anlass sein, diesen Aspekt bei Funktionsst{\"o}rungen mit zu ber{\"u}cksichtigen. Signifikante Zusammenh{\"a}nge mit Ergebnissen des BIVA-Intelligenztests konnten kaum gefunden werden. Allerdings fallen {\"u}berzuf{\"a}llig viele Mittelwertvergleiche in Richtung der Hypothese aus, erreichen jedoch nicht Signifikanzniveau. Dies k{\"o}nnte ein Hinweis auf einen schwachen Zusammenhang darstellen, der jedoch mit einer gr{\"o}ßeren Gruppe noch best{\"a}tigt werden m{\"u}sste. Weitere Forschung auf diesem Gebiet ist erforderlich. Sollte hinreichende Evidenz erreicht werden k{\"o}nnen, so k{\"o}nnte in der F{\"o}rderung koordinativer F{\"a}higkeiten und insbesondere der posturalen Balance eine wichtige p{\"a}dagogische Reserve liegen.}, subject = {Sensomotorik}, language = {de} } @article{ChaouachiGranacherMakhloufetal.2017, author = {Chaouachi, Mehdi and Granacher, Urs and Makhlouf, Issam and Hammami, Raouf and Behm, David G. and Chaouachi, Anis}, title = {Within Session Sequence of Balance and Plyometric Exercises Does Not Affect Training Adaptations with Youth Soccer Athletes}, series = {Journal of sports science \& medicine}, volume = {16}, journal = {Journal of sports science \& medicine}, publisher = {Department of Sports Medicine, Medical Faculty of Uludag University}, address = {Bursa}, issn = {1303-2968}, pages = {125 -- 136}, year = {2017}, abstract = {The integration of balance and plyometric training has been shown to provide significant improvements in sprint, jump, agility, and other performance measures in young athletes. It is not known if a specific within session balance and plyometric exercise sequence provides more effective training adaptations. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of using a sequence of alternating pairs of exercises versus a block (series) of all balance exercises followed by a block of plyometric exercises on components of physical fitness such as muscle strength, power, speed, agility, and balance. Twenty-six male adolescent soccer players ( 13.9 +/- 0.3 years) participated in an 8-week training program that either alternated individual balance (e. g., exercises on unstable surfaces) and plyometric (e. g., jumps, hops, rebounds) exercises or performed a block of balance exercises prior to a block of plyometric exercises within each training session. Pre- and post-training measures included proxies of strength, power, agility, sprint, and balance such as countermovement jumps, isometric back and knee extension strength, standing long jump, 10 and 30-m sprints, agility, standing stork, and Y-balance tests. Both groups exhibited significant, generally large magnitude (effect sizes) training improvements for all measures with mean performance increases of approximately > 30\%. There were no significant differences between the training groups over time. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining balance and plyometric exercises within a training session on components of physical fitness with young adolescents. The improved performance outcomes were not significantly influenced by the within session exercise sequence.}, language = {en} } @misc{GebelBuschStelzeletal.2022, author = {Gebel, Arnd and Busch, Aglaja and Stelzel, Christine and Hortob{\´a}gyi, Tibor and Granacher, Urs}, title = {Effects of Physical and Mental Fatigue on Postural Sway and Cortical Activity in Healthy Young Adults}, series = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Zweitver{\"o}ffentlichungen der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {1866-8364}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-56441}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-564419}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Physical fatigue (PF) negatively affects postural control, resulting in impaired balance performance in young and older adults. Similar effects on postural control can be observed for mental fatigue (MF) mainly in older adults. Controversial results exist for young adults. There is a void in the literature on the effects of fatigue on balance and cortical activity. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the acute effects of PF and MF on postural sway and cortical activity. Fifteen healthy young adults aged 28 ± 3 years participated in this study. MF and PF protocols comprising of an all-out repeated sit-to-stand task and a computer-based attention network test, respectively, were applied in random order. Pre and post fatigue, cortical activity and postural sway (i.e., center of pressure displacements [CoPd], velocity [CoPv], and CoP variability [CV CoPd, CV CoPv]) were tested during a challenging bipedal balance board task. Absolute spectral power was calculated for theta (4-7.5 Hz), alpha-2 (10.5-12.5 Hz), beta-1 (13-18 Hz), and beta-2 (18.5-25 Hz) in frontal, central, and parietal regions of interest (ROI) and baseline-normalized. Inference statistics revealed a significant time-by-fatigue interaction for CoPd (p = 0.009, d = 0.39, Δ 9.2\%) and CoPv (p = 0.009, d = 0.36, Δ 9.2\%), and a significant main effect of time for CoP variability (CV CoPd: p = 0.001, d = 0.84; CV CoPv: p = 0.05, d = 0.62). Post hoc analyses showed a significant increase in CoPd (p = 0.002, d = 1.03) and CoPv (p = 0.003, d = 1.03) following PF but not MF. For cortical activity, a significant time-by-fatigue interaction was found for relative alpha-2 power in parietal (p < 0.001, d = 0.06) areas. Post hoc tests indicated larger alpha-2 power increases after PF (p < 0.001, d = 1.69, Δ 3.9\%) compared to MF (p = 0.001, d = 1.03, Δ 2.5\%). In addition, changes in parietal alpha-2 power and measures of postural sway did not correlate significantly, irrespective of the applied fatigue protocol. No significant changes were found for the other frequency bands, irrespective of the fatigue protocol and ROI under investigation. Thus, the applied PF protocol resulted in increased postural sway (CoPd and CoPv) and CoP variability accompanied by enhanced alpha-2 power in the parietal ROI while MF led to increased CoP variability and alpha-2 power in our sample of young adults. Potential underlying cortical mechanisms responsible for the greater increase in parietal alpha-2 power after PF were discussed but could not be clearly identified as cause. Therefore, further future research is needed to decipher alternative interpretations.}, language = {en} } @article{GebelBuschStelzeletal.2022, author = {Gebel, Arnd and Busch, Aglaja and Stelzel, Christine and Hortob{\´a}gyi, Tibor and Granacher, Urs}, title = {Effects of Physical and Mental Fatigue on Postural Sway and Cortical Activity in Healthy Young Adults}, series = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience}, volume = {16}, journal = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience}, publisher = {Frontiers Media S.A.}, address = {Lausanne, Schweiz}, issn = {1662-5161}, doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2022.871930}, pages = {1 -- 14}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Physical fatigue (PF) negatively affects postural control, resulting in impaired balance performance in young and older adults. Similar effects on postural control can be observed for mental fatigue (MF) mainly in older adults. Controversial results exist for young adults. There is a void in the literature on the effects of fatigue on balance and cortical activity. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the acute effects of PF and MF on postural sway and cortical activity. Fifteen healthy young adults aged 28 ± 3 years participated in this study. MF and PF protocols comprising of an all-out repeated sit-to-stand task and a computer-based attention network test, respectively, were applied in random order. Pre and post fatigue, cortical activity and postural sway (i.e., center of pressure displacements [CoPd], velocity [CoPv], and CoP variability [CV CoPd, CV CoPv]) were tested during a challenging bipedal balance board task. Absolute spectral power was calculated for theta (4-7.5 Hz), alpha-2 (10.5-12.5 Hz), beta-1 (13-18 Hz), and beta-2 (18.5-25 Hz) in frontal, central, and parietal regions of interest (ROI) and baseline-normalized. Inference statistics revealed a significant time-by-fatigue interaction for CoPd (p = 0.009, d = 0.39, Δ 9.2\%) and CoPv (p = 0.009, d = 0.36, Δ 9.2\%), and a significant main effect of time for CoP variability (CV CoPd: p = 0.001, d = 0.84; CV CoPv: p = 0.05, d = 0.62). Post hoc analyses showed a significant increase in CoPd (p = 0.002, d = 1.03) and CoPv (p = 0.003, d = 1.03) following PF but not MF. For cortical activity, a significant time-by-fatigue interaction was found for relative alpha-2 power in parietal (p < 0.001, d = 0.06) areas. Post hoc tests indicated larger alpha-2 power increases after PF (p < 0.001, d = 1.69, Δ 3.9\%) compared to MF (p = 0.001, d = 1.03, Δ 2.5\%). In addition, changes in parietal alpha-2 power and measures of postural sway did not correlate significantly, irrespective of the applied fatigue protocol. No significant changes were found for the other frequency bands, irrespective of the fatigue protocol and ROI under investigation. Thus, the applied PF protocol resulted in increased postural sway (CoPd and CoPv) and CoP variability accompanied by enhanced alpha-2 power in the parietal ROI while MF led to increased CoP variability and alpha-2 power in our sample of young adults. Potential underlying cortical mechanisms responsible for the greater increase in parietal alpha-2 power after PF were discussed but could not be clearly identified as cause. Therefore, further future research is needed to decipher alternative interpretations.}, language = {en} } @article{GebelLehmannGranacher2020, author = {Gebel, Arnd and Lehmann, Tim and Granacher, Urs}, title = {Balance task difficulty affects postural sway and cortical activity in healthy adolescents}, series = {Experimental brain research}, volume = {238}, journal = {Experimental brain research}, number = {5}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0014-4819}, doi = {10.1007/s00221-020-05810-1}, pages = {1323 -- 1333}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Electroencephalographic (EEG) research indicates changes in adults' low frequency bands of frontoparietal brain areas executing different balance tasks with increasing postural demands. However, this issue is unsolved for adolescents when performing the same balance task with increasing difficulty. Therefore, we examined the effects of a progressively increasing balance task difficulty on balance performance and brain activity in adolescents. Thirteen healthy adolescents aged 16-17 year performed tests in bipedal upright stance on a balance board with six progressively increasing levels of task difficulty. Postural sway and cortical activity were recorded simultaneously using a pressure sensitive measuring system and EEG. The power spectrum was analyzed for theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha-2 (10-12 Hz) frequency bands in pre-defined frontal, central, and parietal clusters of electrocortical sources. Repeated measures analysis of variance (rmANOVA) showed a significant main effect of task difficulty for postural sway (p < 0.001; d = 6.36). Concomitantly, the power spectrum changed in frontal, bilateral central, and bilateral parietal clusters. RmANOVAs revealed significant main effects of task difficulty for theta band power in the frontal (p < 0.001, d = 1.80) and both central clusters (left: p < 0.001, d = 1.49; right: p < 0.001, d = 1.42) as well as for alpha-2 band power in both parietal clusters (left: p < 0.001, d = 1.39; right: p < 0.001, d = 1.05) and in the central right cluster (p = 0.005, d = 0.92). Increases in theta band power (frontal, central) and decreases in alpha-2 power (central, parietal) with increasing balance task difficulty may reflect increased attentional processes and/or error monitoring as well as increased sensory information processing due to increasing postural demands. In general, our findings are mostly in agreement with studies conducted in adults. Similar to adult studies, our data with adolescents indicated the involvement of frontoparietal brain areas in the regulation of postural control. In addition, we detected that activity of selected brain areas (e.g., bilateral central) changed with increasing postural demands.}, language = {en} } @article{GhafarianWielandNendel2022, author = {Ghafarian, Fatemeh and Wieland, Ralf and Nendel, Claas}, title = {Estimating the Evaporative Cooling Effect of Irrigation within and above Soybean Canopy}, series = {Water}, volume = {14}, journal = {Water}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4441}, doi = {10.3390/w14030319}, pages = {16}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Vegetation with an adequate supply of water might contribute to cooling the land surface around it through the latent heat flux of transpiration. This study investigates the potential estimation of evaporative cooling at plot scale, using soybean as example. Some of the plants' physiological parameters were monitored and sampled at weekly intervals. A physics-based model was then applied to estimate the irrigation-induced cooling effect within and above the canopy during the middle and late season of the soybean growth period. We then examined the results of the temperature changes at a temporal resolution of ten minutes between every two irrigation rounds. During the middle and late season of growth, the cooling effects caused by evapotranspiration within and above the canopy were, on average, 4.4 K and 2.9 K, respectively. We used quality indicators such as R-squared (R-2) and mean absolute error (MAE) to evaluate the performance of the model simulation. The performance of the model in this study was better above the canopy (R-2 = 0.98, MAE = 0.3 K) than below (R-2 = 0.87, MAE = 0.9 K) due to the predefined thermodynamic condition used to estimate evaporative cooling. Moreover, the study revealed that canopy cooling contributes to mitigating heat stress conditions during the middle and late seasons of crop growth.}, language = {en} } @article{GranacherPrieskeMajewskietal.2015, author = {Granacher, Urs and Prieske, Olaf and Majewski, M. and B{\"u}sch, Dirk and M{\"u}hlbauer, Thomas}, title = {The Role of Instability with Plyometric Training in Sub-elite Adolescent Soccer Players}, series = {International journal of sports medicine}, volume = {36}, journal = {International journal of sports medicine}, number = {5}, publisher = {Thieme}, address = {Stuttgart}, issn = {0172-4622}, doi = {10.1055/s-0034-1395519}, pages = {386 -- 394}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of plyometric training on stable (SPT) vs. highly unstable surfaces (IPT) on athletic performance in adolescent soccer players. 24 male sub-elite soccer players (age: 15 +/- 1 years) were assigned to 2 groups performing plyometric training for 8 weeks (2 sessions/week, 90min each). The SPT group conducted plyometrics on stable and the IPT group on unstable surfaces. Tests included jump performance (countermovement jump [CMJ] height, drop jump [DJ] height, DJ performance index), sprint time, agility and balance. Statistical analysis revealed significant main effects of time for CMJ height (p<0.01, f=1.44), DJ height (p<0.01, f=0.62), DJ performance index (p<0.05, f=0.60), 0-10-m sprint time (p<0.05, f=0.58), agility (p<0.01, f=1.15) and balance (p<0.05, 0.46f1.36). Additionally, a Training groupxTime interaction was found for CMJ height (p<0.01, f=0.66) in favor of the SPT group. Following 8 weeks of training, similar improvements in speed, agility and balance were observed in the IPT and SPT groups. However, the performance of IPT appears to be less effective for increasing CMJ height compared to SPT. It is thus recommended that coaches use SPT if the goal is to improve jump performance.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Lacroix2017, author = {Lacroix, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Factors influencing the effectiveness of balance and resistance training in older adults}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-411826}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {viii, 235}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Hintergrund und Ziele: Altersbedingte Kraft- und Gleichgewichtsverluste sind mit Funktionseinschr{\"a}nkungen und einem erh{\"o}hten Sturzrisiko assoziiert. Kraft- und Gleichgewichtstraining haben das Potenzial, das Gleichgewicht und die Maximalkraft/Schnellkraft von gesunden {\"a}lteren Menschen zu verbessern. Es ist jedoch noch nicht hinreichend untersucht, wie die Effektivit{\"a}t solcher {\"U}bungsprogramme von verschiedenen Faktoren beeinflusst wird. Hierzu geh{\"o}ren die Rolle der Rumpfmuskulatur, die Effekte von kombiniertem Kraft- und Gleichgewichtstraining sowie die Effekte der Trainingsanleitung. Die prim{\"a}ren Ziele dieser Dissertation bestehen daher in der {\"U}berpr{\"u}fung der Zusammenh{\"a}nge von Rumpfkraft und Gleichgewichtsvariablen und der Effekte von kombiniertem Kraft- und Gleichgewichtstraining auf ein breites Spektrum an intrinsischen Sturzrisikofaktoren bei {\"a}lteren Menschen. Ein wesentliches Ziel dieser Dissertation ist zudem die {\"U}berpr{\"u}fung der Auswirkungen von angeleitetem gegen{\"u}ber unangeleitetem Kraft- und/oder Gleichgewichtstraining auf Variablen des Gleichgewichts und der Maximal-/Schnellkraft bei {\"a}lteren Menschen. Methoden: Gesunde {\"a}ltere Erwachsene im Alter zwischen 63 und 80 Jahren wurden in einer Querschnittsstudie, einer L{\"a}ngsschnittstudie und einer Metaanalyse untersucht (Gruppenmittelwerte Meta-Analyse: 65.3-81.1 Jahre). Messungen des Gleichgewichts (statisches/dynamisches, proaktives, reaktives Gleichgewicht) wurden mittels klinischer (z. B. Romberg Test) und instrumentierter Tests (z. B. 10 Meter Gangtest inklusive elektrischer Erfassung von Gangparametern) durchgef{\"u}hrt. Die isometrische Maximalkraft der Rumpfmuskulatur wurde mit speziellen Rumpfkraft-Maschinen gemessen. F{\"u}r die {\"U}berpr{\"u}fung der dynamischen Maximal-/Schnellkraft der unteren Extremit{\"a}t wurden klinische Tests (z. B. Chair Stand Test) verwendet. Weiterhin wurde ein kombiniertes Kraft- und Gleichgewichtstraining durchgef{\"u}hrt, um trainingsbedingte Effekte auf Gleichgewicht und Maximal-/Schnellkraft sowie die Effekte der Trainingsanleitung bei {\"a}lteren Erwachsenen zu untersuchen. Ergebnisse: Die Ergebnisse zeigten signifikante Korrelationen zwischen Rumpfkraft und statischem sowie ausgew{\"a}hlten Parametern des dynamischen Gleichgewichts (0.42 ≤ r ≤ 0.57). Kombiniertes Kraft- und Gleichgewichtstraining verbesserte das statische/dynamische (z. B. Romberg Test, Ganggeschwindigkeit), proaktive (z. B. Timed Up und Go Test) und reaktive Gleichgewicht (z. B. Push and Release Test) sowie die Maximal-/Schnellkraft (z. B. Chair Stand Test) von gesunden {\"a}lteren Menschen (0.62 ≤ Cohen's d ≤ 2.86; alle p < 0.05). Angeleitetes Training f{\"u}hrte verglichen mit unangeleitetem Training zu gr{\"o}ßeren Effekten bei Gleichgewicht und Maximal-/Schnellkraft [L{\"a}ngsschnittstudie: Effekte in der angeleiteten Gruppe 0.26 ≤ d ≤ 2.86, Effekte in der unangeleiteten Gruppe 0.06 ≤ d ≤ 2.30; Metaanalyse: alle Standardisierte Mittelwertdifferenzen (SMDbs) zugunsten der angeleiteten Programme 0.24-0.53]. Die Metaanalyse zeigte zudem gr{\"o}ßere Effekte zugunsten der angeleiteten Programme, wenn diese mit komplett unbeaufsichtigten Programmen verglichen wurden (0.28 ≤ SMDbs ≤ 1.24). Diese Effekte zugunsten der angeleiteten Interventionen wurden jedoch abgeschw{\"a}cht, wenn sie mit unangeleiteten Interventionen verglichen wurden, die wenige zus{\"a}tzliche angeleitete Einheiten integrierten (-0.06 ≤ SMDbs ≤ 0.41). Schlussfolgerungen: Eine Aufnahme von Rumpfkraft{\"u}bungen in sturzpr{\"a}ventive Trainingsprogramme f{\"u}r {\"a}ltere Menschen k{\"o}nnte die Verbesserung von Gleichgewichtsparametern positiv beeinflussen. Die positiven Effekte auf eine Vielzahl wichtiger intrinsischer Sturzrisikofaktoren (z. B. Gleichgewichts-, Kraftdefizite) implizieren, dass besonders die Kombination aus Kraft- und Gleichgewichtstraining eine durchf{\"u}hrbare und effektive sturzpr{\"a}ventive Intervention ist. Aufgrund gr{\"o}ßerer Effekte von angeleitetem im Vergleich zu unangeleitetem Training sollten angeleitete Einheiten in sturzpr{\"a}ventive {\"U}bungsprogramme f{\"u}r {\"a}ltere Erwachsene integriert werden.}, language = {en} } @article{LehmannKuhnKelleretal.2022, author = {Lehmann, Nico and Kuhn, Yves-Alain and Keller, Martin and Aye, Norman and Herold, Fabian and Draganski, Bogdan and Taube, Wolfgang and Taubert, Marco}, title = {Brain activation during active balancing and its behavioral relevance in younger and older adults}, series = {Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1663-4365}, doi = {10.3389/fnagi.2022.828474}, pages = {20}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Age-related deterioration of balance control is widely regarded as an important phenomenon influencing quality of life and longevity, such that a more comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying this process is warranted. Specifically, previous studies have reported that older adults typically show higher neural activity during balancing as compared to younger counterparts, but the implications of this finding on balance performance remain largely unclear. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), differences in the cortical control of balance between healthy younger (n = 27) and older (n = 35) adults were explored. More specifically, the association between cortical functional activity and balance performance across and within age groups was investigated. To this end, we measured hemodynamic responses (i.e., changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin) while participants balanced on an unstable device. As criterion variables for brain-behavior-correlations, we also assessed postural sway while standing on a free-swinging platform and while balancing on wobble boards with different levels of difficulty. We found that older compared to younger participants had higher activity in prefrontal and lower activity in postcentral regions. Subsequent robust regression analyses revealed that lower prefrontal brain activity was related to improved balance performance across age groups, indicating that higher activity of the prefrontal cortex during balancing reflects neural inefficiency. We also present evidence supporting that age serves as a moderator in the relationship between brain activity and balance, i.e., cortical hemodynamics generally appears to be a more important predictor of balance performance in the older than in the younger. Strikingly, we found that age differences in balance performance are mediated by balancing-induced activation of the superior frontal gyrus, thus suggesting that differential activation of this region reflects a mechanism involved in the aging process of the neural control of balance. Our study suggests that differences in functional brain activity between age groups are not a mere by-product of aging, but instead of direct behavioral relevance for balance performance. Potential implications of these findings in terms of early detection of fall-prone individuals and intervention strategies targeting balance and healthy aging are discussed.}, language = {en} }