Abstract
Purpose
The bilateral deficit (BLD) is characterized by a reduction in maximal voluntary torque during a bilateral contraction relative to the sum of left and right unilateral contractions. The BLD has been attributed to interhemispheric inhibition as a result of unilateral torque differences between limbs. If the BLD is the result of interhemispheric inhibition, lowering activation for a torque matching task, as shown in residual force enhancement (RFE), may help overcome the decrease in neural drive during bilateral contractions. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether RFE could reduce the BLD.
Methods
Participants (n = 12) performed both isometric and RFE MVCs of the elbow flexors under three conditions: (1) unilateral-left; (2) unilateral-right; and (3) bilateral. To directly address the purpose of the study, a sub-group of participants that displayed both RFE and a BLD (“Responders”, n = 6) were selected from the participant pool.
Results
“Responders” displayed RFE (7.1 ± 5.3%) and an isometric BLD (BI: − 9.9 ± 3.2%). In the RFE state, the BLD was no longer significant (− 5.8 ± 7.9%), accompanied by the elimination of differences in biceps brachii EMG between arms (left: − 11.7 ± 10.3%; right: − 11.5 ± 13.2%), as seen during isometric contractions (left: − 12.0 ± 23.2%; right: − 21.1 ± 16.6%).
Conclusion
Residual force enhancement appears to mitigate the BLD, alleviating the effects of a decrease in neural drive by allowing more force for a given level of muscle activation when compared to a purely isometric contraction.
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Abbreviations
- RMS:
-
Root mean square
- BLD:
-
Bilateral deficit
- EMG:
-
Electromyography
- MVC:
-
Maximal voluntary contraction
- RFE:
-
Residual force enhancement
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all of the participants in this study. This project was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program, Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), and Eyes High Doctoral Recruitment Scholarship. Infrastructure was provided by the University of Guelph start-up funding.
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GZM was responsible for the design of the study, execution of the study, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript, revising the manuscript, and approving the final submitted version. NM was responsible for data analysis, interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript, revising the manuscript, and approving the final submitted version. WH was interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript, revising the manuscript, and approving the final submitted version. GAP was responsible for the design of the study, execution of the study, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript, revising the manuscript, and approving the final submitted version.
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All participants gave written informed consent and all procedures were approved by the local Research Ethics Board and conformed to the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Communicated by Toshio Moritani.
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MacDonald, G.Z., Mazara, N., Herzog, W. et al. Mitigating the bilateral deficit: reducing neural deficits through residual force enhancement and activation reduction. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 1911–1919 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3924-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3924-x