Neuromotor behavior and exercise

This study used structural equation modelling (SEM) to investigate whether retinal vascular density (VD) is related to individual executive function (EF) performance in healthy older adults, with haematocrit as a mediator. The results showed that there was no significant direct or indirect correlation between VD and EF, but there was a significant regression of haematocrit on EF performance. The authors concluded that changes in retinal VD are not a suitable parameter for predicting cognitive decline in healthy older adults, while higher haematocrit levels appear to have a positive effect on EF.
In: Experimental Brain Research

As part of Girls' Day 2025, we welcomed 12 curious and motivated young participants to explore the world of sports science at the University of Münster. Throughout the day, through a combination of presentations, hands-on activities and live demonstrations the participants gained valuable insights into the various research groups - movement science, sport psychology and neuromotor behavior and exercise, studying human movement. They also received a tour of our sports facilities and together we ate lunch at the university cafeteria. It was a great day full of discovery, inspiration, and new perspectives!

This year's retreat of the Neuromotor & Training department at the Landhaus Rothenberge focused on two topics. On the one hand, “Artificial intelligence and its use in everyday university life” and on the other, “open science” and “linear models”. As always, there was also plenty of time for interesting discussions and numerous team-building highlights.

Cognitive and emotional factors influence the motor dual-task performance of nursing home residents. This is reflected in a decrease in walking speed with increasing cognitive load under dual-task conditions. Thus and physical well-being influence walking performance, whereby a higher cognitive load cognitive load reduces the influence of emotional factors on walking. Reducing fear of falling and improving well-being can improve the mobility of nursing home residents. You'll find the original paper here
 

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ross Julian from the Department of Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise has been appointed as the new Degree Programme Coordinator for the Bachelor of Science in Human Movement in Sport and Exercise and the Master's Programme Sports, Exercise and Human Performance, effective at the beginning of this year.
Ross has been an integral part of the study programmes since 2017 and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role. His passion for the field and commitment to enhancing the student experience will undoubtedly contribute to both programmes' further growth and development.
Please join us in congratulating Ross on his new position. We are excited to see how his leadership will positively impact our academic community.

‘’We warmly welcome Dilşah Gençaslan , who joins our team in the Department of Neuromotor Behavior and Exercise at the University of Münster as a fellow in the TReND Doctoral Network. She will be working on her PhD researching the relationship between cognition and motor variability in ageing and Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients.
 
Dilşah Gençaslan was born in Ankara and raised in Çorum, Türkiye. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Akdeniz University in Antalya and went on to complete a Master’s degree in Clinical Neuroscience at Dokuz Eylül University in İzmir. Her Master’s thesis examined the relationship between the level of emotion expression among caregivers of patients with schizophrenia and the severity of thought disorder in those patients. She also gained research experience as an intern in the Department of Biopsychology at Ruhr University Bochum. We are excited to have her on board and look forward to her contributions to our research community.’’

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.