Talk: Task-specificity and neural adaptations after balance learning in healthy young adults
Speaker: Lisanne Bakker, University Medical Center Groningen (grid.4494.d)
Title: Task-specificity and neural adaptations after balance learning in healthy young adults
Emcee: Alberto Antonietti
Backend host: Ali Rigby
Details: https://neuromatch.io/abstract?submis...
Presented during Neuromatch Conference 3.0, Oct 26-30, 2020.
Summary: Introduction: Only 30 minutes of balance skill training lead to significant improvements in behavioral and neuromuscular outcome measures. However, it is unclear if such a rapidly acquired skill is also retained and transferred to other untrained balance tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a single balance training on balance skill acquisition, retention, and transferability and to examine the underlying neural plasticity by intermuscular coherence and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Methods: Healthy young adults (n=36, age 20.9, 18M) were randomly assigned to learn balancing on a wobble board (BAL), cycle while seated (CYC) or sit and rest (CON) for 20 minutes. Before, immediately and ~7 days after the exercise session, we assessed performance of the trained and several untrained balance tasks. Potential underlying neural mechanisms were examined by intermuscular coherence of lower extremity muscles and by TMS.
Results: BAL improved balance performance in the trained task by 338.9% (±257.2, effect size [d]=1.94), while CT (21.5% ±70.3, d=0.07) and NC (25.8% ± 85.3, d=0.05) did not. BAL retained the acquired skill after a 1-week-long off-line, no-training period (256.0% ±165.5). No changes occurred in 12 measures of untrained balance outcomes, 8 measures of intermuscular coherence, and in 4 TMS measures of supra-spinal plasticity (all p＞0.05).
Conclusions: A single unstable balance-board training session but not cycling or rest improved the trained balance skill by margins observed in long term studies without transfer to other balancing skills or changes in neural plasticity. Future studies will examine in more detail and by additional methods the neuromechanical mechanisms and the time course underlying the remarkable level of specificity of learning a balance skill.