Akalu, Yonas and Tallent, Jamie and Frazer, Ashlyn K and Siddique, Ummatul and Rostami, Mohamad and Vallance, Patrick and Howatson, Glyn and Walker, Simon and Kidgell, Dawson J (2024) Strength-trained adults demonstrate greater corticoreticular activation versus untrained controls. European Journal of Neuroscience, 59 (9). pp. 2336-2352. DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16297
Akalu, Yonas and Tallent, Jamie and Frazer, Ashlyn K and Siddique, Ummatul and Rostami, Mohamad and Vallance, Patrick and Howatson, Glyn and Walker, Simon and Kidgell, Dawson J (2024) Strength-trained adults demonstrate greater corticoreticular activation versus untrained controls. European Journal of Neuroscience, 59 (9). pp. 2336-2352. DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16297
Akalu, Yonas and Tallent, Jamie and Frazer, Ashlyn K and Siddique, Ummatul and Rostami, Mohamad and Vallance, Patrick and Howatson, Glyn and Walker, Simon and Kidgell, Dawson J (2024) Strength-trained adults demonstrate greater corticoreticular activation versus untrained controls. European Journal of Neuroscience, 59 (9). pp. 2336-2352. DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16297
Abstract
The rapid increase in strength following strength-training involves neural adaptations, however, their specific localisation remains elusive. Prior focus on corticospinal responses prompts this study to explore the understudied cortical/subcortical adaptations, particularly cortico-reticulospinal tract responses, comparing healthy strength-trained adults to untrained peers. Fifteen chronically strength-trained individuals (≥2 years of training, mean age: 24 ± 7 years) were compared with 11 age-matched untrained participants (mean age: 26 ± 8 years). Assessments included maximal voluntary force (MVF), corticospinal excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), spinal excitability (cervicomedullary stimulation), voluntary activation (VA) and reticulospinal tract (RST) excitability, utilizing StartReact responses and ipsilateral motor-evoked potentials (iMEPs) for the flexor carpi radialis muscle. Trained participants had higher normalized MVF (6.4 ± 1.1 N/kg) than the untrained participants (4.8 ± 1.3 N/kg) (p = .003). Intracortical facilitation was higher in the strength-trained group (156 ± 49%) (p = .02), along with greater VA (98 ± 3.2%) (p = .002). The strength-trained group displayed reduced short-interval-intracortical inhibition (88 ± 8.0%) compared with the untrained group (69 ± 17.5%) (p < .001). Strength-trained individuals exhibited a greater normalized rate of force development (38.8 ± 10.1 N·s<sup>-1</sup> /kg) (p < .009), greater reticulospinal gain (2.5 ± 1.4) (p = .02) and higher ipsilateral-to-contralateral MEP ratios compared with the untrained group (p = .03). Strength-trained individuals displayed greater excitability within the intrinsic connections of the primary motor cortex and the RST. These results suggest greater synaptic input from the descending cortico-reticulospinal tract to α-motoneurons in strength-trained individuals, thereby contributing to the observed increase in VA and MVF.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | reticulospinal tract; StartReact protocol; strength-training; transcranial magnetic stimulation |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, School of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 05 Mar 2024 16:47 |
Last Modified: | 16 May 2024 22:17 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/37926 |
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