Short-Term High-Intensity Interval Exercise Promotes Motor Cortex Plasticity and Executive Function in Sedentary Females.

Min Hu,Kai Xu,Ying Shen,Junhao Huang,Zhongke Gu,Yuqing Zheng,Ningning Zeng,Lian Xue,Lu Leng,Xi Lu

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.620958

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that regular exercise modulates motor cortical plasticity and cognitive function, but the influence of short-term high-intensity interval training (HIIT) remains unclear. In the present study, the effect of short-term HIIT on neuroplasticity and executive function was assessed in 32 sedentary females. Half of the participants undertook 2 weeks of HIIT. Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS) was used to measure motor cortical plasticity via short intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF). We further adapted the Stroop task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate executive function in the participants. The results indicated that, compared with the control group, the HIIT group exhibited decreased ICF. In the Stroop task, the HIIT group displayed greater activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) even though no significant difference in task performance was observed. These findings indicate that short-term HIIT may modulate motor cortical plasticity and executive function at the neural level.

Highlights

Synaptic plasticity refers to the ability of the nervous system to modify the strength of communication between neurons (Citri and Malenka, 2008)
The present study targeted in sedentary female individuals, examined the effect of short-term, high-intensity interval exercise on motor cortex plasticity and executive function
We found that, compared with the Control group, those individuals who received 2 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exhibited an exercise-mediated reduction of intracortical facilitation

Summary

Introduction

Synaptic plasticity refers to the ability of the nervous system to modify the strength of communication between neurons (Citri and Malenka, 2008). Despite numerous studies highlighting the importance of exercise in maintaining brain function and health, exercise-induced cortical and functional changes in the brain remain largely unelucidated. Numerous studies have used TMS to assess neuroplasticity after exercise. Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to induce a change in intracortical facilitation (ICF) (Singh et al, 2014; Nicolini et al, 2019). Both SICI and ICF are involved in cortical plasticity in the motor cortex. SICI is mediated by the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABAa receptor (Kujirai et al, 1993; Paulus et al, 2008), while ICF is thought to reflect the numbers of glutamate neurons and n-methyl-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors (Liepert et al, 1997; Paulus et al, 2008)

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Results

Conclusion