Differential Modulation of Motor Cortex Plasticity in Skill- and Endurance-trained Athletes

Overview

Journal Eur J Appl Physiol

Specialty Physiology

Date 2015 Jan 1

PMID 25549788

Citations 12

Authors

Susanne Kumpulainen

Janne Avela

Markus Gruber

Julian Bergmann

Michael Voigt

Vesa Linnamo

Natalie Mrachacz-Kersting

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Extensive evidence exists that regular physical exercise offers neuroplastic benefits to the brain. In this study, exercise-specific effects on motor cortex plasticity were compared between 15 skilled and 15 endurance trained athletes and 8 controls.

Methods: Plasticity was tested with a paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocol. PAS is a non-invasive stimulation method developed to induce bidirectional changes in the excitability of the cortical projections to the target muscles. Motor cortex excitability was assessed by motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in the task-relevant soleus muscle, elicited with transcranial magnetic stimulation, before and following PAS. To test for changes at the spinal level, soleus short latency stretch reflexes (SLSR) were elicited before and after PAS.

Results: PAS induced a significant (76 ± 83 %) increase in MEP amplitude in the skill group, without significant changes in the endurance (-7 ± 35 %) or control groups (21 ± 30 %). Baseline MEP/post MEP ratio was significantly different between the skill and endurance groups. SLSR remained unchanged after the PAS intervention.

Conclusion: The possible reason for differential motor cortex plasticity in skill and endurance groups is likely related to the different training-induced adaptations. The findings of the current study suggest that long-term skill training by skill group induced preferable adaptations in the task-related areas of the motor cortex because increased plasticity is known to enhance motor learning.

Citing Articles

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Motor Point Stimulation in Spinal Paired Associative Stimulation can Facilitate Spinal Cord Excitability.

Fok K, Kaneko N, Sasaki A, Nakagawa K, Nakazawa K, Masani K Front Hum Neurosci. 2020; 14:593806.

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