Neuromotor behavior and exercise

We want to investigate brain activity associated with motor responses in a reaction time task. A particular focus will be on the differences between younger and older individuals. Interested students should be able to work independently with MATLAB and/or Python or acquire these skills in order to analyse EEG data according to instructions. It is possible to expand the existing data set with your own EEG measurements. If you have any questions or are interested, please contact Stephanie Fröhlich! Up to two people can work on this topic.

Prof. Voelcker-Rehage spoke on the 12. Medicine+Sports Conference in Düsseldorf about the importance of regular physical activity for brain health in old age. She emphasized the different effects of different forms of physical activity and the effect of combined cognitive and physical training. She also presented findings on the influence of physical activity on depressive symptoms.

At the recent Interreg Program Event, Claudia Voelcker-Rehage presented the "Parkinson Vibrating Socks" project in a brief, interview-based video. She discussed the collaborative ideation and teamwork involved in the project proposal, as well as the significance of the project for the region and expectations for the Interreg program. You can view the full video here.

From 29th to 30th October, the Kick-Off Camp of the TReND doctoral network took place at the University of Münster. TReND is an EU MSCA Doctoral Network funded by the EU, UKRI and SERI. We are happy to have had a successful and productive official start of the doctoral training programme with the TReND fellows and their supervisors.  Of the twelve TReND fellows, seven fellows came to Münster with their supervisor(s), while three participated remotely. The kick-off camp was used to work on a theoretical framework for the research of the TReND consortium, but also for getting to know each other and growing as a consortium, which everyone really enjoyed!
 

We warmly welcome Sofía Avila Pérez, who joins our team in the Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise department as an MSCA fellow in the TReND Doctoral Network. She will be working on her PhD researching the relationship between cognition and motor variability in ageing and patients with Parkinson’s Disease. Before joining us Sofía received a Master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience and Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Padova and was a research assistant at Leiden University studying cognition in Parkinson’s Disease.

"The 56th Autumn Meeting of Experimental Cognitive Psychology, also known as Herbsttagung für experimentelle Kognitionspsychologie (HexKop), took place in Paderborn from September 30th to October 2nd, 2024. This year, the Department of Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise was represented by Piesie Asuako. Piesie presented a poster on the topic “Effect of Modality Mappings on Dual-task Performance in a More Naturalistic Environment”. In his presentation, Piesie demonstrated how modality compatibility influences dual-task performance in everyday activities."
 
 

A group of international experts in the exercise–cognition field disagree with the conclusion of the meta-analyses of Ciria et al.: Evidence suggests that physical exercise benefits cognition across the lifespan1,2. Nevertheless, in an umbrella review of 24 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials, Ciria et al. concluded that there is no support for a causal effect of physical exercise on cognitive performance in healthy populations. A group of international experts in the exercise–cognition field, disagrees with this conclusion due to methodological and theoretical limitations that have received little consideration. They believe the authors’ warning of caution for the World Health Organization’s recommendations2 regarding the cognitive benefits of exercise is unwarranted. You'll find the full length paper here.

The European College of Sport Science (ECSS) 2024 conference was held from July 2nd to July 5th in Glasgow, Scotland. This year, the University of Münster's Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise Department was proudly represented by Dr. Ross Julian.
Dr. Julian presented in an invited symposium titled "Searching for the Holy Grail: Understanding Women's Soccer for Performance and Injury Prevention." In his 20-minute presentation, Dr. Julian shared the latest research on the menstrual cycle and its impact on training and performance in elite female soccer players. His insights provided practical strategies for integrating the menstrual cycle into the daily training routines of elite female soccer teams.