Intracortical motor networks are affected in both the contralateral and ipsilateral hemisphere during single limb cold water immersion
Delahunty ET, Bisset LM, Kavanagh JJ
Experimental physiology · 13 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- University or hospital
- Griffith University
Based on 1 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2019-06-17 · Exp Physiol · vol. 104 · issue 8 · pp. 1296–1305
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Cited
- 14 citations · more than 73% of similar papers · 0.8× the field average
- References
- 55 works
- Access
- Free to read
- Research areas
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies · Motor Control and Adaptation · Muscle activation and electromyography studies
- Keywords
- Motor cortex, Neuroscience, Psychology, Primary motor cortex, Noxious stimulus, Laterality, Sensory system, Lateralization of brain function, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Medicine, Anatomy, Nociception, Stimulation
- MeSH
- upper extremity, forearm, hand, muscle, skeletal, motor cortex, humans, pain, water, electromyography, cross-over studies, evoked potentials, motor, adult, female, male, transcranial magnetic stimulation, young adult
3 authors
From AU
- Eden T. Delahunty · correspondingGriffith University; Gold Coast Health
- Leanne BissetGriffith University; Gold Coast Health
- Justin J KavanaghGriffith University; Gold Coast Health
Abstract
New findings
What is the central question of this study? How does single limb cold water immersion affect corticomotor function and intracortical circuitry in the motor cortex of each cerebral hemisphere? What is the main finding and its importance? Immersion of a single limb in very cold water caused an increase in corticomotor excitability and intracortical facilitation, and a decrease in intracortical inhibition, in the motor cortex of both hemispheres. These findings provide evidence that intense sensory stimuli induce widespread changes in motor circuitry in the contralateral, as well as the ipsilateral, hemisphere.
Abstract
Although responses to noxious stimuli have been extensively studied for the contralateral hemisphere, little is known about how the ipsilateral hemisphere may be affected. Therefore, this study examined how exposing a single limb to noxious cold stimuli affects motor output arising from both the contralateral and ipsilateral hemisphere. A total of 17 healthy adults participated in three experiments. Single- and paired-pulse TMS protocols were used to identify how immersing a single upper limb in cold water (4.0 ± 0.5 °C) affects inhibitory and facilitatory circuits in the primary motor cortex (M1) of the contralateral (experiment 1) and ipsilateral (experiment 2) hemisphere. The third experiment used a reaction time task to assess the functional consequences of acute adaptations in the ipsilateral M1. The target muscle in all experiments was the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB). Immersion of a single limb in cold water increased self-perception of pain and temperature, and increased EMG amplitude of the immersed limb. During immersion, motor evoked potentials and intracortical facilitation increased, whereas short interval intracortical inhibition decreased, for both the ipsilateral M1 and contralateral M1. Activity in the ipsilateral hemisphere to the limb immersed in cold water also slowed reaction time for the non-immersed limb. Our findings suggest that altered motor responses from single limb cold water immersion are not restricted to a single hemisphere. Instead, widespread activation of somatosensory systems influences inhibitory and facilitatory circuits in the primary motor cortex of each hemisphere.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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