Corticomuscular Coherence and Motor Control Adaptations after Isometric Maximal Strength Training

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Exercise Physiology
• Motor Control

Background:

• Strength training (ST) enhances muscle strength through corticomuscular adaptations.
• ST influences agonist and antagonist muscle activation, impacting motor control, force stability, and accuracy.
• Understanding these adaptations is crucial for optimizing training protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in corticomuscular communication and motor control during a 3-week Maximal Strength Training (MST) intervention.
• To quantify corticomuscular coherence (CMC), absolute error (AE), and variable error (VE) in ankle plantarflexion (PF).
• To assess neurophysiological adaptations at the initial, intermediate (1 week), and final stages of training.

Main Methods:

• A 3-week Maximal Strength Training (MST) program targeting ankle plantarflexion (PF).
• Evaluation sessions included electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and torque recordings.
• Measurements assessed maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC), submaximal torque production, AE, VE, muscle activation, and CMC during submaximal contractions.

Main Results:

• Maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) significantly increased post-training.
• Submaximal contractions showed decreased antagonist muscle activation, AE, and VE across all torque levels.
• Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) remained unaltered throughout the 3-week MST intervention.

Conclusions:

• Neurophysiological adaptations in motor control are evident as early as 1 week into MST.
• Despite improvements in force production and accuracy, CMC did not change, suggesting central motor adaptations influencing neural communication may require longer than 3 weeks.