The effect of intervention according to muscle contraction type on the cerebral cortex of the elderly

[Purpose] Here we investigated the activity of the cerebral cortex after resistance training in the elderly. We evaluated the clinical neuropsychological basis of 2 contractile types, and determined the usefulness of a movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) from an electroencephalography (EEG). [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 11 females and 11 males aged between 65 and 70 years. The subjects were randomly assigned into a group that performed an eccentric contraction exercise (experimental group I, n=11) and a group that performed a concentric contraction exercise (experimental group II, n=11). We measured activities of the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and vastus lateralis in the non-dominant lower extremity by using surface electromyography (EMG), and measured brain activity using EEG before conducting an intervention. An intervention was conducted 40 minutes per session, once a day, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. [Results] After the intervention, activity in C4, the Cz area and rectus femoris were significantly different. [Conclusion] Our results demonstrate that MRCP from an EEG has the advantage of being non-invasive and cost-effective. Nonetheless, prospective studies are needed to reveal the specific mechanism underlying eccentric contraction exercise, which can provide baseline data for research related to aging and neural plasticity.