Determining the Corticospinal Responses to Single Bouts of Skill and Strength Training
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Joel Mason [1] ; Ashlyn K. Frazer [1] ; Shapour Jaberzadeh [1] ; Juha P. Ahtiainen [2] ; Janne Avela ; Timo Rantalainen ; Michael Leung Leung [1] ; Dawson J. Kidgell
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[1] Monash University
Monash University
Australia
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[2] University of Jyväskylä
University of Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä, Finlandia
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- Localización: Journal of strength and conditioning research: the research journal of the NSCA, ISSN 1064-8011, Vol. 33, Nº. 9, 2019, págs. 2299-2307
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
Neuroplastic changes in the primary motor cortex accompany performance improvements following motor practice. Recent evidence suggests that the corticospinal responses to strength and skill training are similar, following both a single session and repeated bouts of training, promoting discussion that strength training is a form of motor learning. However, these findings are limited by the lack of a light-load strength training group. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine whether a single session of heavy-load strength training, light-load strength training or skill training differentially modulates the corticospinal pathway. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess the excitatory and inhibitory circuitry of the motor cortex following a single session of skill training, and following a single session of light-load and heavy-load strength training. Following a single session of training, participants in all groups experienced comparable increases in corticospinal excitability (ranging from 38 to 46%, all p < 0.05); however, disparity was observed in the inhibitory responses. Corticospinal inhibition was reduced in all 3 single-sessions, although to a greater magnitude in the heavy-load and skill-training sessions (22 and 18% respectively, compared with 11% following light-load training, all p < 0.05). Short-interval intracortical inhibition was reduced immediately following single sessions of heavy-load strength training (40% p < 0.05) and skill training (47% p < 0.05), but remained unchanged the following light-load strength training session. It appears that the corticospinal responses to single sessions of different types of strength and skill training are task-dependent. These findings reinforce the notion that strength training, at least when heavily-loaded, can be considered a form of motor learning, potentially because of the sensory feedback involved.
