Jesper Lundbye-Jensen

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Verified

Jesper verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Copenhagen

Non-invasive spatiotemporal imaging of brain activity during large-scale, whole body movement is a significant methodological challenge for the field of movement neuroscience. Here, we present a dataset recorded using a new imaging modality – optically-pumped magnetoencephalography (OP-MEG) – to record brain activity during human stepping. Particip...

Late adulthood is accompanied by declines in manual motor performance and reduced neuroplasticity, which can influence the effects of motor practice and learning. Corticomotoneuronal (CM) connectivity can be targeted non‐invasively through individualized paired corticospinal‐motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS) to prime ballistic motor learning in young...

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by impairment of physical function that is often linked to neuromuscular and cardiovascular deficits. However, the specific contributions of muscle strength and aerobic capacity to physical function in MS are not fully understood. Objective This study aimed to investigate the independent roles of...

Probabilistic motor sequence learning research has been primarily concerned with simple frequentist patterns and not with probabilistic systems. In this study, we add a probabilistic system with biased distributional weights using a novel paradigm that combines methods from motor neuroscience and neurolinguistics. Two groups of participants (ages 2...

How do differences in the constraints of a practiced motor task affect oscillatory functional connectivity between the motor cortex and muscle? Here, we investigate corticomuscular (CM) and intermuscular (IM) coherence during the hold-phase of a dynamic position control (PC) and isometric force control (FC) task. We also investigate the effects of...

Non-invasive spatiotemporal imaging of brain activity during large-scale, whole body movement is a significant methodological challenge for the field of movement neuroscience. Here, we present a dataset recorded using a new imaging modality, optically-pumped magnetoencephalography (OP-MEG), to record brain activity during human stepping. Participan...

Background Exercise is a safe and effective way to improve physical function in people with multiple sclerosis (PWMS). Objectives This study aimed to perform a head-to-head study of the effects of aerobic and resistance training on physical capacity and physical function. Methods A multicentre randomized controlled trial with 150 participants was...

Background Childhood obesity can have significant negative consequences for children’s wellbeing and long-term health. Prior school-based interventions to prevent child overweight and obesity have shown limited effects, highlighting the necessity for comprehensive approaches addressing complex drivers of childhood obesity. “Generation Healthy Kids”...

Walking in natural environments requires visually guided modifications, which can be more challenging when involving sideway steps rather than longer steps. This exploratory study investigated whether these two types of modifications involve different changes in the central drive to spinal motor neurons of leg muscles. Fifteen adults [age:36 ± 6 (S...

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes a broad range of symptoms, with physical function being one of the most disabling consequences according to patients themselves. Exercise effectively improves lower extremity physical function. Nonetheless, it is unknown which exercise modality is most effective and it remains challenging to keep persons...

Background: Isometric strength testing is widely applied in sports science. However, we hypothesized that traditional testing procedures with a dual focus on both peak force (PF) and rate of force development (RFD) may compromise the true assessment of early RFD measures and lower the associative value towards vertical jump performance. Methods: T...

Motor learning relies on experience-dependent plasticity in relevant neural circuits. In four experiments, we provide initial evidence and a double-blinded, sham-controlled replication (Experiment I-II) demonstrating that motor learning involving ballistic index finger movements is improved by preceding paired corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation...

The human central nervous system (CNS) undergoes tremendous changes from childhood to adulthood and this may affect how individuals at different stages of development learn new skills. Here, we studied motor skill learning in children, adolescents, and young adults to test the prediction that differences in the maturation of different learning mech...

Identifying which movement parameters are reflected in the corticospinal excitability (CSE) will improve our understanding human motor control. Change in CSE measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor evoked potentials (MEPs) can probe the content of the signal from primary motor cortex (M1) through the corticospinal pathwa...

Manual motor performance declines with age, but the extent to which age influences the acquisition of new skills remains a topic of debate. Here, we examined whether older healthy adults show less training-dependent performance improvements during a single session of a bimanual pinch task than younger adults. We also explored whether physical and c...

Background Childhood obesity can have significant negative consequences for children’s wellbeing and long-term physical health. In Denmark, the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases from 13% to 18% during elementary school and reaches 53% among adults, underscoring the importance of early prevention. Prior school-based interventions have s...

Introduction Heavy‐load free‐flow resistance exercise (HL‐FFRE) is a widely used training modality. Recently, low‐load blood‐flow restricted resistance exercise (LL‐BFRRE) has gained attention in both athletic and clinical settings as an alternative when conventional HL‐FFRE is contraindicated or not tolerated. LL‐BFRRE has been shown to result in...

Performing a single bout of exercise can enhance motor learning and long-term retention of motor skills. Parameters such as the intensity and when the exercise bout is performed in relation to skill practice (i.e., timing) likely influence the effectiveness. However, it is still not fully understood how exercise should be administered to maximize i...

https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cardio-respiratory-fitness-is-associated-with-corticospinal-excitability-and-motor-learning-in-parkinsons-disease/

In this study, we investigated the effects of motor practice with an emphasis on either position or force control on motor performance, motor accuracy and variability in preadolescent children. Furthermore, we investigated corticomuscular coherence and potential changes following motor practice. We designed a setup allowing discrete wrist flexions...

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have impaired general motor skills compared to typically developed (TD) individuals. Aims: To gain knowledge on how young adults with DS learn and retain new motor skills. Methods and procedures: A DS-group (mean age = 23.9 ± 3 years, N = 11), and an age-matched TD-group (mean age 22.8 ± 1.8, N =...

Learning or relearning of motor skills requires plasticity in relevant neural circuits. Motor recovery following lesions to the corticospinal system can be augmented through neuromodulation techniques targeting the affected or compensatory neural circuits. By repeatedly pairing transcranial magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) and...

The central nervous system has a remarkable ability to plan motor actions, to predict and monitor the sensory consequences during and following motor actions and integrate these into future actions. Numerous studies investigating human motor learning have employed tasks involving either force control during isometric contractions or position contro...

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have impaired general motor skills compared to typically developed (TD) individuals. Aims: To gain knowledge on how young adults with DS learn and retain new motor skills. Methods and Procedures: A DS-group (mean age = 23.9 +/- 3 years, N = 11), and an age-matched TD-group (mean age 22.8 +/- 1.8, N= 1...

The history of our actions and their outcomes represent important information, informing choices and efficiently guiding future behavior. While unsuccessful (S-) outcomes are expected to lead to more explorative motor states and increased behavioral variability, successful (S+) outcomes are expected to reinforce the use of the previous action. Here...

Background In resistance training, periodization is often used in an attempt to promote development of strength and muscle hypertrophy. However, it remains unclear how resistance training variables are most effectively periodized to maximize gains in strength and muscle hypertrophy. Objective The aims of this study were to examine the current body...

The cortical mechanisms underlying the act of taking a step—including planning, execution, and modification—are not well understood. We hypothesized that oscillatory communication in a parieto-frontal and corticomuscular network is involved in the neural control of visually guided steps. We addressed this hypothesis using source reconstruction and...

How does the neural control of fine movements develop from childhood to adulthood? Here, we investigated developmental differences in functional corticomuscular connectivity using coherence analyses in 111 individuals from four different age groups covering the age range 8–30 y. EEG and EMG were recorded while participants performed a uni-manual fo...

Human dexterous motor control improves from childhood to adulthood, but little is known about the changes in cortico-cortical communication that support such ontogenetic refinement of motor skills. To investigate age-related differences in connectivity between cortical regions involved in dexterous control we analyzed electroencephalographic data f...

The history of our actions and the outcomes of these represent important information, which can inform choices, and efficiently guide future behaviour. While unsuccessful (S-) outcomes are expected to lead to more explorative motor states and increased behavioural variability, successful (S+) outcomes lead to reinforcement of the previous action an...

Repetitive, monotonic, and effortful voluntary muscle contractions performed for just a few weeks, i.e., resistance training, can substantially increase maximal voluntary force in the practiced task and can also increase gross motor performance. The increase in motor performance is often accompanied by neuroplastic adaptations in the central nervou...

How does the neural control of manual movements mature from childhood to adulthood? Here, we investigated developmental differences in functional corticomuscular connectivity using coherence techniques in 91 individuals recruited from four different age groups covering the age range 8-30y. EEG and EMG were recorded while participants performed a un...

Motor skill acquisition depends on central nervous plasticity. However, behavioural determinants leading to long lasting corticospinal plasticity and motor expertise remain unexplored. Here we investigate behavioural and electrophysiological effects of individually tailored progressive practice during long-term motor skill training. Two groups of p...

Optimization of motor performance is of importance in daily life, in relation to recovery following injury as well as for elite sports performance. The present study investigated whether transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) may enhance voluntary ballistic activation of ankle muscles and descending activation of spinal motor neur...

Consolidation leading to retention of motor memory following motor practice involves activity-dependent plastic processes in the corticospinal system. To investigate whether beta band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied immediately following skill acquisition can enhance ongoing consolidation processes and thereby motor skil...

Including a brief overview of current investigative approaches, the present Perspectives for Progress paper offers an overview of potential future experiments in the field of exercise-related neuroplasticity to strength training. It is proposed that the combination of specific experimental approaches and recently developed techniques holds the pote...

It is not known how effective specific types of motor-enriched activities are at improving academic learning and early reading skills in children. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fine or gross motor enrichment during a single session of recognizing letters “b”/“d” can improve within-session performance or delayed retention the foll...

Health and performance impairments provoked by thermal stress are societal challenges geographically spreading and intensifying with global warming. Yet, science may be underestimating the true impact, since no study has evaluated effects of sunlight exposure on human brain temperature and function. Accordingly, performance in cognitively dominated...

The control of ankle muscle force is an integral component of walking and postural control. Aging impairs the ability to produce force steadily and accurately, which can compromise functional capacity and quality of life. Here, we hypothesized that reduced force control in older adults would be associated with altered cortico-cortical communication...

Acute cardiovascular exercise can promote motor memory consolidation following motor practice, and thus long-term retention, but the underlying mechanisms remain sparsely elucidated. Here we test the hypothesis that the positive behavioral effects of acute exercise involve the primary motor cortex and the corticospinal pathway by interfering with m...

The control of ankle muscle force is an integral component of walking and postural control. Aging impairs the ability to produce force steadily and accurately, which can compromise functional capacity and quality of life. Here, we hypothesized that reduced force control in older adults would be associated with altered cortico-cortical communication...

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of acute resistance training (RT) intensity on motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) generated by transcranial magnetic brain stimulation and on cervicomedullary motor-evoked potentials (CMEPs) produced by electrical stimulation of the corticospinal tract. In four experimental sessions, 14 healthy young m...

This study investigated the interplay of measures of cognitive function and quality of life in relation to academic performance. N = 437 children in third grade (mean age 9.30). Measures of attention, memory, working memory and word memory were used as indicators of cognitive performance, four subscales (physical, emotional, social and school funct...

Recent studies suggest that a single bout of exercise can lead to transient performance improvements in specific cognitive domains in children. However, more knowledge is needed to determine the key exercise characteristics for obtaining these effects and how they translate into real‐world settings. In the present study, we investigate how small‐si...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex symptomatology, and core symptoms as well as functional impairment often persist into adulthood. Recent investigations estimate the worldwide prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents to be 7%, which is a substantial increase compared to a decade ag...

Long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) have in some studies been associated with cognitive and socioemotional outcomes in children, but results are inconsistent possibly due to the use of different tests and potential gender-specific effects. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to explore overall patterns in neuropsycho...

When aerobic exercise is performed following skilled motor practice, it can enhance motor memory consolidation. Previous studies have suggested that dopamine may play a role in motor memory consolidation, but whether it is involved in the exercise effects on consolidation is unknown. Hence, we aimed to investigate the influence of dopaminergic path...

From 19th to 22nd November 2018, 26 researchers representing nine countries and a variety of academic disciplines met in Snekkersten, Denmark, to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity and older adults. It was recognised that the term ‘older adults’ represents a highly heterogeneous population. It encompasses those that remain highl...

In adults, oscillatory activity in the sensorimotor cortex is coherent with contralateral muscle activity at beta frequencies (15–35 Hz) during tonic contraction. This functional coupling reflects the involvement of the sensorimotor cortex, the corticospinal pathway, and likely also ascending sensory feedback in the task at hand. However, little is...

Purpose To evaluate the prevalence of dehydration in occupational settings and contextualize findings to effects on performance in cognitively dominated tasks, simple and complex motor tasks during moderate and high heat stress. Methods The study included an occupational part with hydration assessed in five industries across Europe with urine samp...

Research has indicated that at the onset of a finger movement, unwanted contractions of adjacent muscles are prevented by inhibiting the cortical areas representing these muscles. This so-called surround inhibition (SI) seems relevant for the performance of selective finger movements but may not be necessary for tasks involving functional coupling...

Motion og bevægelse i skolen handler om, hvordan skolens pædagogiske personale pædagogisk og didaktisk kan arbejde med motion og bevægelse på et forskningsmæssigt grundlag. Bogen præsenterer det videnskabelige grundlag, der ligger til grund for at indføre motion og bevægelse i skolen, samt erfaringer med at implementere forandringerne. Artiklerne...

Background: A session of motor skill learning is accompanied by transient increases in corticospinal excitability(CSE), which are thought to reflect acute changes in neuronal connectivity associated with improvements in sensorimotor performance. Factors influencing changes in excitability and motor skill with continued practice remain however to be...

Human and animal studies have documented that neural circuitries in the spinal cord show adaptive changes caused by altered supraspinal and/or afferent input to the spinal circuitry in relation to learning, immobilization, injury and neurorehabilitation. Reversible adaptations following, e.g. the acquisition or refinement of a motor skill rely heav...

Heat stress, leading to elevations in whole-body temperature, has a marked impact on both physical performance and cognition in ecological settings. Lab experiments confirm this for physically demanding activities, whereas observations are inconsistent for tasks involving cognitive processing of information or decision-making prior to responding. W...

Background: One bout of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise performed immediately after practicing a motor skill promotes changes in the neuroplasticity of the motor cortex and facilitates motor learning in nondisabled individuals. Objective: To determine if a bout of exercise performed at high intensity is sufficient to induce neuroplastic c...

The corticospinal pathway is the major pathway connecting the brain with the muscles and is therefore highly relevant for movement control and motor learning. There exists a number of noninvasive electrophysiological methods investigating the excitability and plasticity of this pathway. However, most methods are based on quantification of compound...

Objective: The ability to acquire new motor skills is essential both during childhood and later in life. Recent studies have demonstrated that an acute bout of exercise can improve motor memory consolidation in adults. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether acute exercise protocols following motor skill practice in a school s...

Objective: An emerging field of research indicates that physical activity can benefit cognitive functions and academic achievements in children. However, less is known about how academic achievements can benefit from specific types of motor activities (e.g., fine and gross) integrated into learning activities. Thus, the aim of this study was to inv...

A single bout of cardiovascular exercise performed immediately after practicing a motor task improves the long-term retention of the skill through an optimization of memory consolidation. However, the specific brain mechanisms underlying the effects of acute cardiovascular exercise on procedural memory are poorly understood. We sought to determine...

A single bout of high intensity exercise can augment off-line gains in skills acquired during motor practice. It is currently unknown if the type of physical exercise influences the effect on motor skill consolidation. The present study investigated the effect of three types of acute high intensity exercise following visuomotor skill acquisition on...

It is well established that unilateral motor practice can lead to increased performance in the opposite non-trained hand. Here, we test the hypothesis that progressively increasing task difficulty during long-term skill training with the dominant right hand increase performance and corticomotor excitability of the left non-trained hand. Subjects pr...

To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests.This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls). Fine and gross motor skills were...

A single bout of high intensity aerobic exercise (~90% VO2peak) was previously demonstrated to amplify off-line gains in skill level during the consolidation phase of procedural memory. High intensity exercise is not always a viable option for many patient groups or in a rehabilitation setting where low to moderate intensities may be more suitable....

To investigate the relationship between motor skills, aerobic fitness, cognitive performance and academic performance in children (Study I). Furthermore, results from a six week intervention study integrating motor activity into the mathematical curriculum is presented (Study II).

From 4 to 7 April 2016, 24 researchers from 8 countries and from a variety of academic disciplines gathered in Snekkersten, Denmark, to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity in children and youth, that is, individuals between 6 and 18 years. Physical activity is an overarching term that consists of many structured and unstructured...

We present new evidence supporting the hypothesis that the effects of cardiovascular exercise on memory can be regulated in a time-dependent manner. When the exercise stimulus is coupled temporally with specific phases of the memory formation process, a single bout of cardiovascular exercise may be sufficient to improve memory.

The timing of exercise in relation to the information to be remembered is critical to maximize the effects of acute cardiovascular exercise on memory.

The use of touch screens, which require a high level of manual dexterity, has exploded since the development of smartphone and tablet technology. Manual dexterity relies on effective corticospinal control of finger muscles, and we therefore hypothesized that corticospinal drive to finger muscles can be optimized by tablet-based motor practice. To i...

High intensity aerobic exercise amplifies offline gains in procedural memory acquired during motor practice. This effect seems to be evident when exercise is placed immediately after acquisition, during the first stages of memory consolidation, but the importance of temporal proximity of the exercise bout used to stimulate improvements in procedura...

ABSTRACT Neuroscience has fundamentally changed the understanding of learning and memory within recent years. Here, the authors discuss a number of specific areas where they believe new understanding of the CNS from basic science is having a fundamental impact on neurorehabilitation and is leading to new therapeutic approaches. These areas have con...

Acute exercise improves motor memory: Exploring potential biomarkers, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (2014), doi: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and rev...

It is well known that following skill learning, improvements in motor performance may transfer to the untrained contralateral limb. It is also well known that retention of a newly learned task A can be degraded when learning a competing task B that takes place directly after learning A. Here we investigate if this interference effect can also be ob...

Joint immobilization has previously been shown to modulate corticospinal excitability. The present study investigated changes in the excitability of distinct fractions of the corticospinal pathway by means of conditioning the H-reflex with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex (Hcond). This method allows assessment of...

Low-frequency rTMS applied to the primary motor cortex (M1) may produce depression of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs). This depression is commonly assumed to reflect changes in cortical circuits. However, little is known about rTMS-induced effects on subcortical circuits. Therefore, the present study aimed to clarify whether rTMS influences corticos...

It is well known that following skill learning, improvements in motor performance may transfer to the untrained contralateral limb. It is also well known that retention of a newly learned task A can be degraded when learning a competing task B that takes place directly after learning A. Here we investigate if this interference effect can also be ob...