Ageing attenuates exercise-enhanced motor cortical plasticity.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Exercise Physiology
• Aging Research

Background:

• Cardiorespiratory exercise is known to enhance motor cortical plasticity in young adults.
• The impact of aging on exercise-induced motor cortical plasticity remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of aging on exercise-mediated motor cortical plasticity.
• To compare the effects of high-intensity interval exercise on primary motor cortex plasticity in young versus older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to measure cortical excitatory and inhibitory activity in 20 young and 20 older adults.
• Assessed motor cortical plasticity before and after a 20-minute high-intensity interval cycling exercise bout or rest, followed by intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS).

Main Results:

• Both young and older adults exhibited increased glutamatergic excitation and reduced GABAergic inhibition post-exercise.
• Older adults demonstrated an attenuated plasticity response to iTBS after exercise compared to younger adults.

Conclusions:

• Cortical plasticity shows an age-dependent decline.
• High-intensity interval exercise may be less effective in enhancing primary motor cortex plasticity in older adults compared to younger individuals.