Projects
Inhibition and action in the aging brain: role of GABA in brain function and network interactions KU Leuven
Studying the neural mechanisms underlying age deficits in movement control is of utmost socioeconomic relevance. Here, we will study inhibitory control mechanisms that shape motor behavior. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we will determine the concentration of gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA), the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. In Phase 1, multimodal imaging is used to study interactions between GABA concentration, brain ...
Aging, inhibition and motor learning: a multimodal imaging approach for the study of neurochemistry and brain network interactions KU Leuven
The capacity to learn new motor skills declines with aging, affecting the quality of life and functional independence in older adults. These declines are partly caused by age-related changes in the brain. However, it remains unclear how age-related changes in the brain’s neurochemical composition and alterations in the functional interactions between brain regions account for the degraded motor learning abilities in older adults. Here, I use ...
Inter- and intra-hemispheric interactions within the aging brain and their role in motor behavior KU Leuven
Older adults typically demonstrate bimanual coordination deficits that are at least partially attributed to age-related changes in the structural as well as functional properties of the brain. In this PhD thesis, neural dedifferentiation, i.e. an aging-induced process during which brain activity and connectivity pattern partially loose their selective nature, was critically investigated. In a first part, age-related alterations in functional ...
odulating memory consolidation with non-invasive brain stimulation: a multimodal neuroimaging investigation . KU Leuven
Motor memory is the capacity that allows the development of skills that are essential for daily life activities such as typing on a keyboard or playing an instrument. During the initial motor sequence learning (MSL) phase, performance improves quickly with repeated practice. This process is supported by at least two brain networks, i.e., the hippocampo- and striato-cortical networks. Interestingly, it has been shown that brain responses in ...
A Multimodal Neuroimaging Investigation into the Modulation of Motor Memory Consolidation By Stress KU Leuven
Retaining newly acquired skills is a fundamental capacity that underlies the elaborate and complex set of human motor behaviours. This capacity is supported by the process of memory consolidation. Although the neural correlates of motor memory consolidation have extensively been characterized, it remains unknown whether the recruitment of the relevant neural substrates can be modulated in order to influence consolidation processes. In the ...