Determining the cortico-reticulospinal responses to high-intensity aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise facilitates neuroplasticity and has been linked to improvements in cognitive and motor function. These neuroplastic effects of exercise are exerted at the molecular, cellular and structural levels of the nervous system, which accumulate to induce changes in brain function. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to quantify subtle changes in motor cortical excitation and inhibition that accompany exercise. Several lines of evidence demonstrates acute exercise affects measures of intracortical excitability, with some studies also showing altered corticospinal excitability. However, the influence of distinct motor cortex interneuron populations on the modulation of intracortical and corticospinal excitability following acute aerobic exercise is currently unknown. Further, the time-course neuroplastic responses to aerobic training have not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this project is to map the cortico-reticulospinal responses to a 3-week aerobic exercise training program.