BAST® third-party funded research projects

Abstract Master Thesis by Rejnald Lleshi:
Action recognition is a task that has proven central in gaining insights from videos. It has received growing attention in computer vision and has improved significantly in recent years.

Mental disorders, e.g. affective disorders, also find their expression in body and motion based symptoms. (Michalak et al., 2009). The international classification systems of psychological disorders, e.g. the ICD-10 by the WHO (Dilling et al, 2011), defines body and motion based symptoms for numerous disorders. Body and motion based therapeutic concepts gain more and more attention in psychotherapeutic-psychosomatic complex therapy. (Heimbeck et al., 2011). Thereby the diagnosis of motion behavior can often not be objectified and the therapeutic allocation and approach often stay intuitive and eclectic, although motion-analytic concepts exist e.g. the categorical motion analysis according to Laban.

The demand for creative "out of the box" thinking increases in many areas of human coexistence. Politicians, educators, and CEOs have realized that creativity and innovation are central to economic success (Business Roundtable, 2005; Council on Competitiveness, 2005; Sawyer, 2006). Cognitive scientists describe creativity as fluid thought and, based upon findings on gesture and embodied cognition, it has been hypothesized that the physical experience of fluidity would lead to more fluid, creative thought (Slepian & Ambady, 2012). Recent studies of "Little c Creativity" also point to the positive psychological effects of expressing oneself creatively (Richards, 2007). This research therefore views the human body as a resource of creative achievement and examines the effects of physical versatility training on personality development and creative potential in students of the German Sport University Cologne. Raising the Question: “can sport enhance creative potential?”

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common debilitating disease in young adults worldwide. Diagnosed in over 2.3 million people, this neuro-immunological disease is most prevalent in Europe and North America, with over 120,000 diagnosed cases in Germany alone. This research seeks to develop, validate, and standardize an instrument for objectively measuring MS fatigue.
This study is supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Independent Fellowship.

This work proposes research in a major area of sports science—movement behavior science—and application of findings to help improve the lives of people who are living with multiple sclerosis.
Supported by Gold-Kraemer Stiftung and the DMSG Cologne (Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft Köln)
Project Partner:
Institut für Bewegungstherapie, Abt. Neurologie, Psychosomatik, Psychiatrie (Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln)
Institut für Tanz und Bewegungskultur (Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln)

Die Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung (BPS) ist eine psychiatrische Erkrankung, die in den letzten Jahren intensiv erforscht wurde. Wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse zum qualitativen Bewegungsverhalten und zum Körperbild von Patienten mit BPS sind bislang jedoch nur wenige vorhanden. Das Ziel der Studie ist daher die Erforschung des qualitativen Bewegungsverhaltens und die Erfassung des Körperbildes bei BPS.
DFG-Förderung von 2010 bis 2013

Movement behaviour in patients with eating disorders and inflammatory bowel disease
German Research Association Grant DFG Fe 239/3-1