Acute effects of single arm muscle fatigue on bilateral cortical inhibition and functional connectivity

Diseases and injuries can affect essential activities of daily living like holding objects or walking. Investigating ways to optimize motor learning and performance is important for patient (i.e., stroke patients) and healthy populations (i.e., athletes). Exercising muscles to fatigue on one side of the body may improve motor tasks executed by the opposite limb. This study looks at short-term effects of exercising one arm to fatigue on nervous system activity and handgrip strength of both arms. Forty-five participants from the University of Oxford, UK will be assigned by chance to one of three conditions: single arm fatiguing exercise, sham (non-fatiguing exercise), or rest. Brain scans and handgrip strength measures before and after will be taken for all groups. By determining the effectiveness of using exercise-induced fatigue to improve motor learning in the fatigued and non-fatigued limb, this study may have substantial clinical implications for recovery from single-limb injury or impairment.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jonathan Farthing

Student:

Partner:

University of Oxford

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Life Sciences (not health); Other

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program: