Abstract
Purpose
Studies with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) show that both acute and long-term exercise can influence TMS-induced plasticity within primary motor cortex (M1). However, it remains unclear how regular exercise influences skill training-induced M1 plasticity and motor skill acquisition. This study aimed to investigate whether skill training-induced plasticity and motor skill learning is modified in endurance-trained cyclists.
Methods
In 16 endurance-trained cyclists (24.4 yrs; 4 female) and 17 sedentary individuals (23.9 yrs; 4 female), TMS was applied in 2 separate sessions: one targeting a hand muscle not directly involved in habitual exercise and one targeting a leg muscle that was regularly trained. Single- and paired-pulse TMS was used to assess M1 and intracortical excitability in both groups before and after learning a sequential visuomotor isometric task performed with the upper (pinch task) and lower (ankle dorsiflexion) limb.
Results
Endurance-trained cyclists displayed greater movement times (slower movement) compared with the sedentary group for both upper and lower limbs (all P < 0.05), but there was no difference in visuomotor skill acquisition between groups (P > 0.05). Furthermore, endurance-trained cyclists demonstrated a greater increase in M1 excitability and reduced modulation of intracortical facilitation in resting muscles of upper and lower limbs after visuomotor skill learning (all P < 0.005).
Conclusion
Under the present experimental conditions, these results indicate that a history of regular cycling exercise heightens skill training-induced M1 plasticity in upper and lower limb muscles, but it does not facilitate visuomotor skill acquisition.
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Data availability
The datasets from the current study will be made available on request to the corresponding author.
Abbreviations
- TMS:
-
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
- M1:
-
Primary motor cortex
- LTP:
-
Long-term potentiation
- END:
-
Endurance-trained
- SED:
-
Sedentary
- FDI:
-
First dorsal interosseous
- TA:
-
Tibialis anterior
- EMG:
-
Electromyography
- PA:
-
Posterior–anterior
- ML:
-
Medio-lateral
- RMT:
-
Resting motor threshold
- AMT:
-
Active motor threshold
- SICI:
-
Short-interval intracortical inhibition
- SICF:
-
Short-interval intracortical facilitation
- ICF:
-
Intracortical facilitation
- I/O:
-
Input–output
- AURC:
-
Area under recruitment curve
- LMM:
-
Linear mixed model
- LMMRM :
-
Linear mixed model with repeated measures
- BDNF:
-
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
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BJH is supported by the Australia Research Training Program Scholarship, Adelaide Research Graduate Scholarship. GMO is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia early career fellowship (Grant number 1139723).
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BJH: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing, visualization. GMO: conceptualization, methodology, writing—review and editing. SKS: methodology, writing—review and editing. JGS: conceptualization, resources, writing—review and editing, visualization, supervision, project administration.
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Hand, B.J., Opie, G.M., Sidhu, S.K. et al. Motor cortex plasticity and visuomotor skill learning in upper and lower limbs of endurance-trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 122, 169–184 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04825-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04825-y