Introduction: Advantageous effects of biological motion detection, a low-perceptual mechanism that allows the rapid recognition and understanding of spatiotemporal characteristics of movement via salient kinematics information, can be amplified when combined with motor imagery, i.e., the mental simulation of motor acts. According to Jeannerod’s neurostimulation theory, asynchronous firing and reduction of mu and beta rhythm oscillations, referred to as suppression over the sensorimotor area, are sensitive to both MI and action observation of BM. Yet, not many studies investigated the use (...) of BM stimuli using combined AO-MI tasks. In this study, we assessed the neural response in the form of event-related synchronization and desynchronization patterns following the observation of point-light-walkers and concordant MI, as compared to MI alone.Methods: Twenty right-handed healthy participants accomplished the experimental task by observing BM stimuli and subsequently performing the same movement using kinesthetic MI. We recorded an electroencephalogram with 32 channels and performed time-frequency analysis on alpha and beta frequency bands during the MI task. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to test statistical significance among conditions and electrodes of interest.Results: The results revealed significant ERD/S patterns in the alpha frequency band between conditions and electrode positions. Post hoc comparisons showed significant differences between condition 1 and condition 3 over the left primary motor cortex. For the beta band, a significantly less difference in ERD patterns was detected only between condition 3 and condition 4.Discussion: Our results confirmed that the observation of BM combined with MI elicits a neural suppression, although just in the case of jumping. This is in line with previous findings of AO and MI eliciting a neural suppression for simulated whole-body movements. In the last years, increasing evidence started to support the integration of AOMI training as an adjuvant neurorehabilitation tool in Parkinson’s disease.Conclusion: We concluded that using BM stimuli in AOMI training could be promising, as it promotes attention to kinematic features and imitative motor learning. (shrink)

Electroencephalographic correlates of movement have been studied extensively over many years. In the present work, we focus on investigating neural correlates that originate from the spine and study their connectivity to corresponding signals from the sensorimotor cortex using multivariate autoregressive models. To study cortico-spinal interactions, we simultaneously measured spinal cord potentials and somatosensory evoked potentials of wrist movements elicited by neuromuscular electrical stimulation. We identified directional connections between spine and cortex during both the extension and flexion of the wrist using (...) only non-invasive recording techniques. Our connectivity estimation results are in alignment with various studies investigating correlates of movement, i.e., we found the contralateral side of the sensorimotor cortex to be the main sink of information as well as the spine to be the main source of it. Both types of movement could also be clearly identified in the time-domain signals. (shrink)

The era of humanism has come to an end. Its concept has been criticised heavily, most prominentely from Marx, Nietzsche and Freud. What will follow is still an open question and one that is especially crucial for pedagogical thinking. What we do know is that humans won't stop to reinvent themselves and it becomes obvious that our tightening symbiosis with technology is a mayor evolutionary step that deserves close scutiny. This book looks from different angles onto the new field of (...) transhumanism and explores ways to liberate pedagogy from its ties to the metaphysical idea of humansism. Der Humanismus hat seine praktische Geltungskraft und seine theoretischen Begründungsansprüche verloren. An seine Stelle sind heute transhumanistische Technophantasien einer Überwindung des Menschen durch seine Symbiose mit der Maschine getreten. Das Buch nimmt die Herausforderungen des Transhumanismus auf und reflektiert ihre Bedeutung für das pädagogische Selbstverständnis und die Theorieentwicklung aus einer poststrukturalistischen Perspektive. Seit Marx, Nietzsche und Freud ist der Humanismus einer radikalen Kritik unterzogen worden; Nietzsches Begriff des Übermenschen war dabei einer der wenigen Versuche Menschenbildung jenseits seines humanistischen Verständnisses zu denken. Die hier versammelten Beiträge haben nicht den Anspruch etwas an die Stelle des Humanismus zu setzen. Vielmehr erkunden sie explorativ das neue Problemfeld zwischen Anti-, Post- und Transhumanismus, welches sich nach den "Enden des Menschen" aufgetan hat. In diesem kommen verschiedene Diskurse zusammen, die u.a. Menschen in evolutionär fortgeschrittener Symbiose mit seinen Maschinen denken. Im Humanismus verankerte Konzepte und Bemühungen wie Selbstbildung haben sich hier überlebt und machen die Suche nach posthumanistischen pädagogischen Konzepten notwendig. (shrink)