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Post‐exercise neural plasticity is augmented by adding blood flow restriction during low work rate arm cycling
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Post‐exercise neural plasticity is augmented by adding blood flow restriction during low work rate arm cycling

Mikaela L. Frechette, Summer B. Cook, Brendan R. Scott, Jane Tan and Ann‐Maree Vallence
Experimental physiology, Vol.110(6), pp.877-887
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/EP092113
PMID: 39835924
Appears in  Open Access via Read & Publish Agreements
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CC BY V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

blood flow restriction exercise intervention hypoxia inhibition motor cortex excitability neural plasticity
Blood flow restriction (BFR) combined with low work rate exercise can enhance muscular and cardiovascular fitness. However, whether neural mechanisms mediate these enhancements remains unknown. This study examined changes in corticospinal excitability and motor cortical inhibition following arm cycle ergometry with and without BFR. Twelve healthy males (24 ± 4 years) completed four, randomized 15‐min arm cycling conditions: high work rate (HW: 60% maximal power output), low work rate (LW: 30% maximal power output), low work rate with BFR (LW‐BFR) and BFR without exercise (BFR‐only). For BFR conditions, cuffs were applied around the upper arm and inflated to 70% of arterial occlusion pressure continuously during exercise. Single‐pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered to left primary motor cortex (M1) to elicit motor‐evoked potentials (MEP) in the right biceps brachii during a low‐level isometric contraction. MEP amplitude and cortical silent period (cSP) duration were measured before and 1, 10 and 15 min post‐exercise. MEP amplitude increased significantly from baseline to Post‐10 and Post‐15 for both the HW (both z  < −7.07, both P  < 0.001) and LW‐BFR conditions (both z  < −5.56, both P  < 0.001). For the LW condition without BFR, MEP amplitude increased significantly from baseline to Post‐10 ( z  = −3.53, P  = 0.003) but not Post‐15 ( z =  −1.85, P  = 0.388). The current findings show that HW arm cycling and LW‐BFR led to longer‐lasting increases in corticospinal excitability than LW arm cycling alone. Future research should examine whether the increased corticospinal excitability is associated with the improvements in muscle strength observed with BFR exercise. A mechanistic understanding of BFR exercise improvement could guide BFR interventions in clinical populations. What is the central question of this study? Does low work rate arm cycling with blood flow restriction (BFR) lead to an increase in corticospinal excitability and decrease in cortical inhibition that is comparable to high work rate arm cycling and greater than low work rate arm cycling and BFR without exercise? What is the main finding and its importance? Unrestricted high work rate arm cycling and low work rate arm cycling combined with BFR led to longer lasting increases in corticospinal excitability than low work rate arm cycling alone. Future research is needed to examine whether the increased corticospinal excitability is associated with the improvements in muscle strength observed with BFR exercise.

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Citation topics
1 Clinical & Life Sciences
1.82 Gait & Posture
1.82.811 Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Web Of Science research areas
Physiology
ESI research areas
Biology & Biochemistry
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