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.
Highlights
Postural control requires the complex interaction of different structures within the somatosensory system to maintain and recover balance during the performance of sport and Communicated by Francesco Lacquaniti.1 3 Vol.:(0123456789)Experimental Brain Research (2020) 238:1323–1333Sipp et al 2013; Solis-Escalante et al 2019; Wagner et al 2016)
The main findings of this study were that postural sway (i.e., CoP displacements) increased and cortical activity changed with increasing balance task difficulty
In terms of cortical activity, theta frequency band power in frontal and bilateral central areas increased with increasing balance task difficulty
Summary
Postural control requires the complex interaction of different structures within the somatosensory system to maintain and recover balance during the performance of sport and Communicated by Francesco Lacquaniti.1 3 Vol.:(0123456789)Experimental Brain Research (2020) 238:1323–1333Sipp et al 2013; Solis-Escalante et al 2019; Wagner et al 2016). Sipp et al (2013) and Hülsdünker et al (2015a) proposed that an increased fronto-central theta band power might be indicative of a postural error detection system that monitors postural stability/instability and initiates adaptive postural responses in situations of high postural instability to maintain or regain balance In this context, Sipp et al (2013) hypothesized that theta frequency band activity could be involved in the transfer of sensory information during the performance of postural demanding tasks. Sipp et al (2013) hypothesized that theta frequency band activity could be involved in the transfer of sensory information during the performance of postural demanding tasks In support of this argument, studies that examined cortical activity during beam walking (Sipp et al 2013) or the performance of different balance tasks with increasing difficulty level (Del Percio et al 2009; Edwards et al 2018; Hülsdünker et al 2015b) reported a strong reactivity of the alpha frequency band in terms of decreases in power, in parietal areas. There is evidence of altered alpha-2 frequency band power that is associated with task-specific cortical information processing and communication between frontal and parietal cortical structures (Bazanova and Vernon 2014)
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