Melanie Mack

• Doctor of Philosophy
• PostDoc Position at University of Geneva

Background: Cognitive, motor, and cognitive-motor dual-task (DT) training are promising strategies for promoting cognition in older age. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying training-induced cognitive improvements remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week cognitive training (CT), motor training (MT),...

The eye is considered a gateway to the brain, as the retina is the only tissue of the central nervous system not protected by bones. This enables non-invasive imaging to provide exceptional insights into the brain. Based on the similarity of brain and retinal structure, it is being investigated whether changes in retinal blood flow could serve as a...

Background Cognitive-motor dual-tasking, essential for daily activities like walking in busy spaces, declines with age. Research suggests that cognitive (cogT), motor (motT), and cognitive-motor dual-task training (DTT) can improve dual-task performance in older adults, yet studies report heterogeneous effects. This RCT examined whether baseline co...

It is well established that performing multiple tasks simultaneously (dual-tasking) or sequentially (task-switching) degrades performance on one or both tasks. However, it is unknown whether task-switching adds to the effects of dual-tasking in a single setup. We investigated this in a simulated everyday-like car driving scenario. We expected an ad...

This desk review evaluates the current state of interventions for mental health and cognitive functioning among older adults in Switzerland focusing on the features of these interventions as well as on Swiss-specific contextual factors that contribute to vulnerability and stigma. The goal is to guide the development of effective, evidence-based int...

Introduction This review aimed to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on depression severity and various depressive symptoms in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) including older adults with an average age of at least 60 years and a minimum level of mild depression. Thereby, the moderating effects of various intervention and individual cha...

We analyzed the data of a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of piano practice on cognitive flexibility in healthy older adults. Participants (N = 153, 69.5 ± 3.5 years of age, 57.5% females) were randomly assigned to a piano practice group (PP) or a control group engaged in active music listening (MC). Both groups underwent a year-...

Hearing impairment affects a growing number of older adults and is associated with worse cognitive aging outcomes. However, the mechanisms linking hearing impairment and cognition are complex, and the role of potential moderating factors remains underexplored. This study examined whether social isolation and loneliness profiles (e.g., non-isolated...

The presentation of one task increases the reaction time on a subsequent task, if stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between tasks is short. This psychological refractory period (PRP) effect is typically leveling off as SOA approaches 1 s, which has been documented both in classical laboratory paradigms and in simulated car driving. Here we report a m...

Introduction There is high evidence that chronic exercise benefits overall depression severity in older adults. However, late-life depression is characterized by considerable heterogeneity in clinical manifestation emphasizing the need for more individualized exercise intervention programs. Therefore, the objective of the proposed review is to inve...

Walking while performing an additional cognitive task (dual-task walking; DT walking) is a common yet highly demanding behavior in daily life. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that performance declines from single- (ST) to DT conditions are accompanied by increased prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. This increment is particularly pronounced...

Age-related decline in cognitive-motor multitasking performance has been attributed to declines in executive functions and physical fitness (motor coordinative fitness and cardiovascular fitness). It has been suggested that those cognitive and physical resources strongly depend on lifestyle factors such as long-term regular physical activity and co...

It well established that the presentation of one task increases the reaction time on a subsequent task, if the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between tasks is less than about 400 ms. This psychological refractory period (PRP) effect has been observed both in classical laboratory paradigms and in simulated car driving. Here we report about an effec...

Here, we investigated whether age-related cognitive-motor interference is influenced by individual’s levels of executive functions and physical fitness in a more ecological valid scenario. Participants ( N = 61, 65–75 years) crossed a virtual street on a treadmill without getting hit by a car during single- and multitasking (typing numbers). Outcom...

Background Multitasking is an essential part of our everyday life, but performance declines typically in older age. Many studies have investigated the beneficial effects of cognitive, motor and combined cognitive-motor training on multitasking performance in older adults. Previous work, however, has not regarded interindividual differences in cogni...

Research on multitasking driving has suggested age-related deterioration in driving performance. It has been shown that physical and cognitive functioning, which are related to driving performance and decline with aging, are positively associated with physical activity behavior. This study aimed to explore whether driving performance decline become...

Background Multitasking is an essential part of our everyday life, but performance declines typically in older age. Many studies have investigated the beneficial effects of cognitive, motor and combined cognitive-motor training on multitasking performance in older adults. Previous work, however, has not regarded interindividual differences in cogni...

It is well established that car driving performance suffers when the driver concurrently engages in a distracting activity, such as talking on a cell phone. The present study investigates whether the effects of driver distraction are short-lived, or rather persist for some time. Age-related differences are evaluated as well. Sixty-three young and 6...

The aim of the current study was to transfer the method of using isolated kinematics information combined with the examination of perceptual-cognitive processes to gymnastics judging and thereby investigating the informational underpinnings of skilled perception and judgment. More specifically, a combination of process-tracing methods that include...

Background In artistic gymnastics, performance is observed and evaluated by judges based on criteria defined in the code of points. However, there is a manifold of influences discussed in the literature that could potentially bias the judges’ evaluations in artistic gymnastics. In this context, several authors claim the necessity for alternative ap...

For a better understanding of complex gymnastics performances, on the one hand, it is relevant to analyse isolated time discrete parameters, but on the other hand, it is also relevant to analyse the time-course of gymnastics skills and sequences holistically. Thus, the purpose of this study was to realize a holistic examination of a gymnastics floo...

Most research concerning the kinematic analysis of gymnastics skills only deals with selected variables, thereby often ignoring the holistic nature of the analyzed skills. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop an innovative approach to analyze the front handspring on vault. To gain comprehensive insight into the aforementioned motor skil...

Numerous gymnastics skills demand a precise interaction between the gymnast and the environment. It remains unclear, how different environmental cues act and interact in the regulation of complex skills, such as Yurchenko-type vaults, where the gymnast performs a round-off before contacting the springboard. The aim of this study was to assess the r...