Exercise Performance and Corticospinal Excitability During Action Observation

Overview

Journal Front Hum Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2016 Mar 26

PMID 27014037

Citations 4

Authors

James G Wrightson

Rosie Twomey

Nicholas J Smeeton

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Observation of a model performing fast exercise improves simultaneous exercise performance; however, the precise mechanism underpinning this effect is unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the speed of the observed exercise influenced both upper body exercise performance and the activation of a cortical action observation network (AON).

Method: In Experiment 1, 10 participants completed a 5 km time trial on an arm-crank ergometer whilst observing a blank screen (no-video) and a model performing exercise at both a typical (i.e., individual mean cadence during baseline time trial) and 15% faster than typical speed. In Experiment 2, 11 participants performed arm crank exercise whilst observing exercise at typical speed, 15% slower and 15% faster than typical speed. In Experiment 3, 11 participants observed the typical, slow and fast exercise, and a no-video, whilst corticospinal excitability was assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Results: In Experiment 1, performance time decreased and mean power increased, during observation of the fast exercise compared to the no-video condition. In Experiment 2, cadence and power increased during observation of the fast exercise compared to the typical speed exercise but there was no effect of observation of slow exercise on exercise behavior. In Experiment 3, observation of exercise increased corticospinal excitability; however, there was no difference between the exercise speeds.

Conclusion: Observation of fast exercise improves simultaneous upper-body exercise performance. However, because there was no effect of exercise speed on corticospinal excitability, these results suggest that these improvements are not solely due to changes in the activity of the AON.

Citing Articles

The acute effects of action observation on muscle strength/weakness and corticospinal excitability in older adults.

Harmon K, Girts R, Pagan J, Rodriguez G, Stock M Exp Brain Res. 2022; 240(6):1801-1810.

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Differences between the Influence of Observing One's Own Movements and Those of Others in Patients with Stroke.

Fuchigami T, Morioka S Stroke Res Treat. 2019; 2019:3083248.

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Changing Artificial Playback Speed and Real Movement Velocity Do Not Differentially Influence the Excitability of Primary Motor Cortex during Observation of a Repetitive Finger Movement.

Moriuchi T, Matsuda D, Nakamura J, Matsuo T, Nakashima A, Mitsunaga W Front Hum Neurosci. 2017; 11:546.

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Primary Motor Cortex Activation during Action Observation of Tasks at Different Video Speeds Is Dependent on Movement Task and Muscle Properties.

Moriuchi T, Matsuda D, Nakamura J, Matsuo T, Nakashima A, Nishi K Front Hum Neurosci. 2017; 11:10.

PMID: 28163678 PMC: 5247438. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00010.

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