ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2017
Voluntary activation and variability during maximal dynamic contractions with aging.
Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- Age-Related Differences in Corticospinal Function and Muscle Strength: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Age-related Deficits in Voluntary Activation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 2020Pooled it
- Sex hormones and menopause hormone therapy predict muscle strength across the lifespan.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2026Article
- Non-local Muscle Fatigue in Young and Middle-Aged Women following Fast-Paced Walking.International journal of exercise science · 2026Article
- Effects of acidosis and inorganic phosphate on CaAmerican journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2026Article
- Motor performance and aging in males and females.Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology · 2025Review
- Sex differences in the rate of torque development and torque-velocity relationship are due to maximal strength only.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Article
- Age-related differences in muscular coordination while performing elbow flexion and extension movements at different velocities.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Are females getting more fatigable as they age?European journal of applied physiology · 2025Article
- Neural and muscular contributions to the age-related differences in peak power of the knee extensors in men and women.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2024Article
- Voluntary activation of human knee extensors during isotonic shortening contractions.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- Age-related changes and sex differences in ankle plantarflexion velocity.Scientific reports · 2023Observational
- Neural and muscular contributions to the age-related loss in power of the knee extensors in men and women.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation during maximal voluntary contraction: a Delphi survey with expert consensus.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Article
- Plantar Flexor Weakness and Pain Sensitivity Cannot Be Assumed in Midportion Achilles Tendinopathy.Exercise, sport & movement · 2023Article
- Comparison of prolonged low-frequency force depression assessed using isometric torque and isotonic power following a dynamic fatiguing task.European journal of applied physiology · 2022Article
- On the reliability and validity of central fatigue determination.European journal of applied physiology · 2021Review
- The Measurement of Strength in Children: Is the Peak Value Truly Maximal?Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Attenuated activation of knee extensor muscles during fast contractions in older men and women.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Article
- Effects of elevated HThe Journal of physiology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Whether reduced supraspinal activation contributes to age-related reductions in maximal torque during dynamic contractions is not known. The purpose was to determine whether there are age differences in voluntary activation and its variability when assessed with stimulation at the motor cortex and the muscle during maximal isometric, concentric, and eccentric contractions. Thirty young (23.6 ± 4.1 years) and 31 old (69.0 ± 5.2 years) adults performed maximal isometric, shortening (concentric) and lengthening (eccentric) contractions with the elbow flexor muscles. Maximal isometric contractions were performed at 90° elbow flexion and dynamic contractions at a velocity of 60°/s. Voluntary activation was assessed by superimposing an evoked contraction with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or with electrical stimulation over the muscle during maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs). Old adults had lower MVC torque during isometric (- 17.9%), concentric (- 19.7%), and eccentric (- 9.9%) contractions than young adults, with less of an age difference for eccentric contractions. Voluntary activation was similar between the three contraction types when assessed with TMS and electrical stimulation, with no age group differences. Old adults, however, were more variable in voluntary activation than young (standard deviation 0.99 ± 0.47% vs. 0.73 ± 0.43%, respectively) to both the motor cortex and muscle, and had greater coactivation of the antagonist muscles during dynamic contractions. Thus, the average voluntary activation to the motor cortex and muscle did not differ with aging; however, supraspinal activation was more variable during maximal dynamic and isometric contractions in the old adults. Lower predictability of voluntary activation may indicate subclinical changes in the central nervous system with advanced aging.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.