Acute high-intensity and moderate-intensity interval exercise do not change corticospinal excitability in low fit, young adults

El-Sayes, Jenin; Turco, Claudia V.; Skelly, Lauren E.; Locke, Mitchell B.; Gibala, Martin J.; Nelson, Aimee J.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0227581

Cited by 17 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Previous work showed that an acute bout of exercise increases corticospinal excitability in the nonexercised upper limb muscle of physically active young adults, whereas this increase was not observed in young adults that reported low levels of physical activity (10), which was confirmed in a study with separate groups of physically active young females and males (14). Similarly, other work showed that both moderate-intensity and HIIT acute exercise did not increase corticospinal excitability in sedentary young adults (18). Although the direct connection between modulation of corticospinal excitability and brainderived neurotropic factor (BDNF) has not been established, there is evidence that BDNF is a mediator of neuroplasticity (42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Specifically, it was hypothesized that HIIT would decrease intracortical inhibition and transcallosal inhibition as well as increase ICF in M1 (3,4,9,11,17). It was expected that corticospinal excitability would be unaffected by acute HIIT, as shown by the majority of previous studies in young adults (1,3,4,7,18).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent work showed that transcallosal inhibition, as measured via the ipsilateral silent period (iSP), decreases bilaterally after acute exercise (4). Other studies have found inconsistent effects of acute exercise on corticospinal excitability (MEP amplitudes), with the majority of studies finding no change (1,3,4,6,7,9,11,15,18), whereas others report that both acute moderate-intensity (10,14) and HIIT exercise (17,19) can increase corticospinal excitability. Collectively, these results suggest that cortical circuits within and between M1 are modulated after acute exercise in young adults, whereas the effects on corticospinal excitability are inconsistent.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise Modulates Corticospinal Excitability in Older Adults

Neva

Greeley

Chau

et al. 2021

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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Introduction: Acute exercise can modulate the excitability of the nonexercised upper limb representation in the primary motor cortex (M1). Measures of M1 excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are modulated after various forms of acute exercise in young adults, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT). However, the impact of HIIT on M1 excitability in older adults is currently unknown. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of lower limb cycling HIIT on bilateral upper limb M1 excitability in older adults. Methods: We assessed the impact of acute lower limb HIIT or rest on bilateral corticospinal excitability, intracortical inhibition and facilitation, and interhemispheric inhibition of the nonexercised upper limb muscle in healthy older adults (mean age 66 ± 8 yr). We used single and pairedpulse TMS to assess motor evoked potentials, short-interval intracortical inhibition, intracortical facilitation, and the ipsilateral silent period. Two groups of healthy older adults completed either HIIT exercise or seated rest for 23 min, with TMS measures performed before (T0), immediately after (T1), and 30 min after (T2) HIIT/rest. Results: Motor evoked potentials were significantly increased after HIIT exercise at T2 compared with T0 in the dominant upper limb. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not find any significant change in short-interval intracortical inhibition, intracortical facilitation, or ipsilateral silent period after HIIT. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that corticospinal excitability of the nonexercised upper limb is increased after HIIT in healthy older adults. Our results indicate that acute HIIT exercise impacts corticospinal excitability in older adults, without affecting intracortical or interhemispheric circuitry. These findings have implications for the development of exercise strategies to potentiate neuroplasticity in healthy older and clinical populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise Modulates Corticospinal Excitability in Older Adults

Neva

Greeley

Chau

et al. 2021

Medicine &Amp; Science in Sports &Amp; Exercise

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“…One study showed an acute bout of high-intensity cycling resulted in increased excitability, reduced inhibition, and improved motor performance in a ballistic thumb task; however, the activity levels of participants were not reported ( Opie and Semmler, 2019 ). No increase in corticospinal excitability was reported following either high or moderate intensity exercise in low-fit individuals ( El-Sayes et al, 2020 ); however, inhibitory measures were significantly reduced following both high ( Stavrinos and Coxon, 2017 ) and moderate intensity cycling protocols ( Singh et al, 2014 ; Smith et al, 2014 ), where participants were either sedentary or of unknown fitness status.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Acute Effects of High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Motor Cortical Excitability and Inhibition in Sedentary Adults

et al. 2022

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Transcranial magnetic stimulation studies have demonstrated increased cortical facilitation and reduced inhibition following aerobic exercise, even when examining motor regions separate to the exercised muscle group. These changes in brain physiology following exercise may create favorable conditions for adaptive plasticity and motor learning. One candidate mechanism behind these benefits is the increase in brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) observed following exercise, which can be quantified from a venous blood draw. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in motor cortex excitability and inhibition of the upper limb, and circulating BDNF, following high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a stationary bicycle. Nineteen sedentary adults participated in a randomized crossover design study involving a single bout of high-intensity interval cycling for 20 min or seated rest. Venous blood samples were collected, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to stimulate the extensor carpi radialis (ECR), where motor evoked potentials (MEP) were recorded pre- and post-condition. Following exercise, there was a significant increase (29.1%, p < 0.001) in corticospinal excitability measured at 120% of resting motor threshold (RMT) and a reduction in short-interval cortical inhibition (SICI quantified as 86.2% increase in the SICI ratio, p = 0.002). There was a non-significant (p = 0.125) 23.6% increase in BDNF levels. Collectively, these results reflect a net reduction in gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic synaptic transmission and increased glutamatergic facilitation, resulting in increased corticospinal excitability. This study supports the notion that acute high-intensity exercise provides a potent stimulus for inducing cortical neuroplasticity, which may support enhanced motor learning.

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“…But the effect was inconsistent and heterogenous, with 61% of the studies reporting no significant change in BDNF after aerobic exercise 24 . Considerable variability in exercise-induced changes in CSE has also been observed in both sedentary 23 , 39 and active individuals 23 , with a spread of individuals showing increases, decreases, and no changes in CSE after aerobic exercise. Further investigation of such biomarkers may be helpful to understand exercise effects on motor learning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Aerobic exercise and aerobic fitness level do not modify motor learning

Hung

Roig

Gillen

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Motor learning may be enhanced when a single session of aerobic exercise is performed immediately before or after motor skill practice. Most research to date has focused on aerobically trained (AT) individuals, but it is unknown if aerobically untrained (AU) individuals would equally benefit. We aimed to: (a) replicate previous studies and determine the effect of rest (REST) versus exercise (EXE) on motor skill retention, and (b) explore the effect of aerobic fitness level (AU, AT), assessed by peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), on motor skill retention after exercise. Forty-four participants (20–29 years) practiced a visuomotor tracking task (acquisition), immediately followed by 25-min of high-intensity cycling or rest. Twenty-four hours after acquisition, participants completed a motor skill retention test. REST and EXE groups significantly improved motor skill performance during acquisition [F(3.17, 133.22) = 269.13, P = 0.001], but had no group differences in motor skill retention across time. AU-exercise (VO2peak = 31.6 ± 4.2 ml kg−1 min−1) and AT-exercise (VO2peak = 51.5 ± 7.6 ml kg−1 min−1) groups significantly improved motor skill performance during acquisition [F(3.07, 61.44) = 155.95, P = 0.001], but had no group differences in motor skill retention across time. Therefore, exercise or aerobic fitness level did not modify motor skill retention.

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Acute high-intensity and moderate-intensity interval exercise do not change corticospinal excitability in low fit, young adults

Cited by 17 publications

References 54 publications

Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise Modulates Corticospinal Excitability in Older Adults

Acute High-Intensity Interval Exercise Modulates Corticospinal Excitability in Older Adults

Acute Effects of High-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Motor Cortical Excitability and Inhibition in Sedentary Adults

Aerobic exercise and aerobic fitness level do not modify motor learning

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