Strength‐trained adults demonstrate greater corticoreticular activation versus untrained controls

• Published in: The European journal of neuroscience Vol. 59; no. 9; pp. 2336 - 2352
• Main Authors: Akalu, Yonas, Tallent, Jamie, Frazer, Ashlyn K., Siddique, Ummatul, Rostami, Mohamad, Vallance, Patrick, Howatson, Glyn, Walker, Simon, Kidgell, Dawson J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adaptation, Physiological - physiology; Adult; Cortex (motor); Electromyography; Evoked Potentials, Motor - physiology; Excitability; Female; Humans; Magnetic fields; Male; Motor Cortex - physiology; Motor evoked potentials; Motor neurons; Muscle Strength - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Pyramidal Tracts - physiology; Resistance Training - methods; reticulospinal tract; Reticulospinal tracts; StartReact protocol; strength‐training; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - methods; Young Adult; strength‐training; StartReact protocol; transcranial magnetic stimulation; reticulospinal tract
• ISSN: 0953-816X; 1460-9568
• DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16297

The rapid increase in strength following strength‐training involves neural adaptations, however, their specific localisation remains elusive. Prior focus on corticospinal responses prompts this study to explore the understudied cortical/subcortical adaptations, particularly cortico‐reticulospinal tract responses, comparing healthy strength‐trained adults to untrained peers. Fifteen chronically strength‐trained individuals (≥2 years of training, mean age: 24 ± 7 years) were compared with 11 age‐matched untrained participants (mean age: 26 ± 8 years). Assessments included maximal voluntary force (MVF), corticospinal excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), spinal excitability (cervicomedullary stimulation), voluntary activation (VA) and reticulospinal tract (RST) excitability, utilizing StartReact responses and ipsilateral motor‐evoked potentials (iMEPs) for the flexor carpi radialis muscle. Trained participants had higher normalized MVF (6.4 ± 1.1 N/kg) than the untrained participants (4.8 ± 1.3 N/kg) (p = .003). Intracortical facilitation was higher in the strength‐trained group (156 ± 49%) (p = .02), along with greater VA (98 ± 3.2%) (p = .002). The strength‐trained group displayed reduced short‐interval‐intracortical inhibition (88 ± 8.0%) compared with the untrained group (69 ± 17.5%) (p < .001). Strength‐trained individuals exhibited a greater normalized rate of force development (38.8 ± 10.1 N·s−1/kg) (p < .009), greater reticulospinal gain (2.5 ± 1.4) (p = .02) and higher ipsilateral‐to‐contralateral MEP ratios compared with the untrained group (p = .03). Strength‐trained individuals displayed greater excitability within the intrinsic connections of the primary motor cortex and the RST. These results suggest greater synaptic input from the descending cortico‐reticulospinal tract to α‐motoneurons in strength‐trained individuals, thereby contributing to the observed increase in VA and MVF. Strength‐trained individuals displayed greater strength, increased intracortical facilitation, higher voluntary activation (VA) and reduced short‐interval‐intracortical inhibition. They also showed a greater rate of force development and reticulospinal gain compared with untrained peers, indicating enhanced excitability in the primary motor cortex and the reticulospinal tract, which contributed to the higher VA and strength in chronically strength‐trained individuals.