The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex

Aim: While physical fatigue is known to arise in part from supraspinal mechanisms within the brain exactly how brain activity is modulated during fatigue is not well understood. Therefore, this study examined how typical neural oscillatory responses to voluntary muscle contractions were affected by...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Fry, Adam, Mullinger, Karen J., O'Neill, George C., Brookes, Matthew J., Folland, Jonathan P.
Format: Article
Published: Wiley 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39384/
_version_ 1848795825216421888
author Fry, Adam
Mullinger, Karen J.
O'Neill, George C.
Brookes, Matthew J.
Folland, Jonathan P.
author_facet Fry, Adam
Mullinger, Karen J.
O'Neill, George C.
Brookes, Matthew J.
Folland, Jonathan P.
author_sort Fry, Adam
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Aim: While physical fatigue is known to arise in part from supraspinal mechanisms within the brain exactly how brain activity is modulated during fatigue is not well understood. Therefore, this study examined how typical neural oscillatory responses to voluntary muscle contractions were affected by fatigue. Methods: Eleven healthy adults (age 27±4 years) completed two experimental sessions in a randomised crossover design. Both sessions first assessed baseline maximal voluntary isometric wrist-flexion force (MVFb). Participants then performed an identical series of fourteen test contractions (2 × 100%MVFb, 10 × 40%MVFb, 2 × 100%MVFb) both before and after one of two interventions: forty 12-s contractions at 55%MVFb (fatigue intervention) or 5%MVFb (control intervention). Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to characterise both the movement-related mu and beta decrease (MRMD and MRBD) and the post-movement beta rebound (PMBR) within the contralateral sensorimotor cortex during the 40%MVFb test contractions, while the 100%MVFb test contractions were used to monitor physical fatigue. Results: The fatigue intervention induced a substantial physical fatigue that endured throughout the post-intervention measurements (28.9-29.5% decrease in MVF, P<0.001). Fatigue had a significant effect on both PMBR (ANOVA, session × time-point interaction: P=0.018) and MRBD (P=0.021): the magnitude of PMBR increased following the fatigue but not the control interventions, whereas MRBD was decreased post-control but not post-fatigue. Mu oscillations were unchanged throughout both sessions. Conclusion: Physical fatigue resulted in an increased PMBR, and offset attenuations in MRBD associated with task habituation.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T19:38:14Z
format Article
id nottingham-39384
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T19:38:14Z
publishDate 2018
publisher Wiley
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-393842024-08-15T15:31:09Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39384/ The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex Fry, Adam Mullinger, Karen J. O'Neill, George C. Brookes, Matthew J. Folland, Jonathan P. Aim: While physical fatigue is known to arise in part from supraspinal mechanisms within the brain exactly how brain activity is modulated during fatigue is not well understood. Therefore, this study examined how typical neural oscillatory responses to voluntary muscle contractions were affected by fatigue. Methods: Eleven healthy adults (age 27±4 years) completed two experimental sessions in a randomised crossover design. Both sessions first assessed baseline maximal voluntary isometric wrist-flexion force (MVFb). Participants then performed an identical series of fourteen test contractions (2 × 100%MVFb, 10 × 40%MVFb, 2 × 100%MVFb) both before and after one of two interventions: forty 12-s contractions at 55%MVFb (fatigue intervention) or 5%MVFb (control intervention). Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to characterise both the movement-related mu and beta decrease (MRMD and MRBD) and the post-movement beta rebound (PMBR) within the contralateral sensorimotor cortex during the 40%MVFb test contractions, while the 100%MVFb test contractions were used to monitor physical fatigue. Results: The fatigue intervention induced a substantial physical fatigue that endured throughout the post-intervention measurements (28.9-29.5% decrease in MVF, P<0.001). Fatigue had a significant effect on both PMBR (ANOVA, session × time-point interaction: P=0.018) and MRBD (P=0.021): the magnitude of PMBR increased following the fatigue but not the control interventions, whereas MRBD was decreased post-control but not post-fatigue. Mu oscillations were unchanged throughout both sessions. Conclusion: Physical fatigue resulted in an increased PMBR, and offset attenuations in MRBD associated with task habituation. Wiley 2018-07 Article PeerReviewed Fry, Adam, Mullinger, Karen J., O'Neill, George C., Brookes, Matthew J. and Folland, Jonathan P. (2018) The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex. Acta Physiologica, 220 (3). pp. 373-381. ISSN 1748-1716 magnetoencephalography; MEG ; motor; sensory; mu; beta; event-related desynchronization; event-related synchronization http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apha.12843/abstract doi:10.1111/apha.12843 doi:10.1111/apha.12843
spellingShingle magnetoencephalography; MEG ; motor; sensory; mu; beta; event-related desynchronization; event-related synchronization
Fry, Adam
Mullinger, Karen J.
O'Neill, George C.
Brookes, Matthew J.
Folland, Jonathan P.
The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
title The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
title_full The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
title_fullStr The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
title_full_unstemmed The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
title_short The effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
title_sort effect of physical fatigue on oscillatory dynamics of the sensorimotor cortex
topic magnetoencephalography; MEG ; motor; sensory; mu; beta; event-related desynchronization; event-related synchronization
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39384/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39384/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/39384/