NCT03889548

Influence of Resistance Training Experience and Mental Imagery on Corticospinal Excitability and Inhibition

Influence of Resistance Training Experience on the Efficacy of Mental Imagery in Modulating Corticospinal Excitability and Inhibition: A Pilot Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Central Florida · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will utilize transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine the effects of mental imagery in resistance-trained versus untrained men and women. In randomized order, each participant will perform a mental imagery task or a control condition as TMS is used to study corticospinal excitability.

Detailed description

Kinesthetic mental imagery is a technique that has previously been utilized to modulate neural signaling to the limbs in the absence of any mechanical movement of the limb. Kinesthetic imagery tasks require an individual to imagine they are maximally contracting a target muscle group. Previous investigations have shown mental imagery tasks to increase maximal strength of the limb and even attenuate strength loss during periods of immobilization. Similarly, corticospinal excitability, which indicates the ease in which the cortex can stimulate muscular contraction, has also been shown to increase during mental imagery tasks. These adaptations have been attributed to the role of the cortex as a critical determinant of strength and the potent cortical stimulus posed by mental imagery. Mental imagery and resistance training have both shown to provide a positive impact on muscle strength. However, the interplay between a mental imagery task and resistance training experience has yet to be fully investigated in terms of their impact on corticospinal excitability and inhibition. To our knowledge, no study has examined the effect of resistance training experience on corticospinal excitability and inhibition during a mental imagery task. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine if resistance trained and untrained participants experience differences in corticospinal excitability and inhibition during kinesthetic mental imagery.

Conditions

• Resistance Training

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Mental Imagery	Immediately after determination of the resting motor threshold and pre-test measurements, the TMS administrator will leave the room so as to be blinded to the treatment condition of the participant. At this time the participant will be given instructions regarding the mental imagery protocol from a separate investigator who will not be blinded to the condition. During the mental imagery protocol, participants will be instructed to close their eyes and imagine they are maximally contracting the muscles in their forearm and imagine that they are making their wrist flex and that they are pushing maximally against a hand grip in their hand. This will be a kinesthetic imagery task, in which they are urging their muscles to contract maximally.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-02-07
• Primary completion: 2023-01-01
• Completion: 2023-01-01
• First posted: 2019-03-26
• Last updated: 2023-02-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States