A single bout of high-intensity interval training improves motor skill retention in individuals with stroke
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Background: One bout of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise performed immediately after practicing a motor skill promotes changes in the neuroplasticity of the motor cortex and facilitates motor learning in nondisabled individuals.
Objective: To determine if a bout of exercise performed at high intensity is sufficient to induce neuroplastic changes and improve motor skill retention in patients with chronic stroke.
Methods: Twenty-two patients with different levels of motor impairment were recruited. On the first session, the effects of a maximal graded exercise test on corticospinal and intracortical excitability were assessed from the affected and unaffected primary motor cortex representational area of a hand muscle with transcranial magnetic stimulation. On the second session, participants were randomly assigned to an exercise or a nonexercise control group. Immediately after practicing a motor task, the exercise group performed 15 minutes of high-intensity interval training while the control group rested. Twenty-four hours after motor practice all participants completed a test of the motor task to assess skill retention.
Results: The graded exercise test reduced interhemispheric imbalances in GABAA-mediated short-interval intracortical inhibition but changes in other markers of excitability were not statistically significant. The group that performed high-intensity interval training showed a better retention of the motor skill.
Conclusions: The performance of a maximal graded exercise test triggers only modest neuroplastic changes in patients with chronic stroke. However, a single bout of high-intensity interval training performed immediately after motor practice improves skill retention, which could potentially accelerate motor recovery in these individuals.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 8 |
Pages (from-to) | 726-735 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 1545-9683 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
- Stroke, Cardiovascular exercise, Motor skill learning, Rehabilitation, Memory, Neuronal plasticity, Transcranial megnetic stimulation
Research areas
ID: 181902244