TY - JOUR
T1 - Intracortical inhibition in the soleus muscle is reduced during the control of upright standing in both young and old adults
AU - Papegaaij, Selma
AU - Baudry, Stéphane
AU - Négyesi, János
AU - Taube, Wolfgang
AU - Hortobágyi, Tibor
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported in part by start-up funds from the University Medical Center Groningen, Grant Number 653013.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, The Author(s).
PY - 2016/5/1
Y1 - 2016/5/1
N2 - Purpose: In a previous study, we reported that a short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) decreases in old but not in young adults when standing on foam vs. a rigid surface. Here, we examined if such an age by task difficulty interaction in motor cortical excitability also occurs in easier standing tasks. Methods: Fourteen young (23 ± 2.7 years) and fourteen old (65 ± 4.1 years) adults received transcranial magnetic brain stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, while they stood with or without support on a force platform. Results: In the soleus, we found that SICI was lower in unsupported (35 % inhibition) vs. supported (50 %) standing (p = 0.007) but similar in young vs. old adults (p = 0.591). In the tibialis anterior, SICI was similar between conditions (p = 0.597) but lower in old (52 %) vs. young (72 %) adults (p = 0.030). Age and standing with or without support did not affect the Hoffmann reflex in the soleus. Conclusions: The current data suggest that the motor cortex is involved in standing control, and that its role becomes more prominent with an increase in task difficulty.
AB - Purpose: In a previous study, we reported that a short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) decreases in old but not in young adults when standing on foam vs. a rigid surface. Here, we examined if such an age by task difficulty interaction in motor cortical excitability also occurs in easier standing tasks. Methods: Fourteen young (23 ± 2.7 years) and fourteen old (65 ± 4.1 years) adults received transcranial magnetic brain stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, while they stood with or without support on a force platform. Results: In the soleus, we found that SICI was lower in unsupported (35 % inhibition) vs. supported (50 %) standing (p = 0.007) but similar in young vs. old adults (p = 0.591). In the tibialis anterior, SICI was similar between conditions (p = 0.597) but lower in old (52 %) vs. young (72 %) adults (p = 0.030). Age and standing with or without support did not affect the Hoffmann reflex in the soleus. Conclusions: The current data suggest that the motor cortex is involved in standing control, and that its role becomes more prominent with an increase in task difficulty.
KW - Aging
KW - Balance
KW - Peripheral nerve stimulation
KW - Short-interval intracortical inhibition
KW - Transcranial magnetic stimulation
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U2 - 10.1007/s00421-016-3354-6
DO - 10.1007/s00421-016-3354-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 27002819
AN - SCOPUS:84961784105
VL - 116
SP - 959
EP - 967
JO - European Journal of Applied Physiology
JF - European Journal of Applied Physiology
SN - 1439-6319
IS - 5
ER -