ArticleJournal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)2019
Oscillations in neural drive and age-related reductions in force steadiness with a cognitive challenge.
Article in Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mental fatigue impairs physical performance but not the neural drive to the muscle: a preliminary analysis.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Trial
- Effects of dual-task demands on the complexity and task performance of submaximal isometric handgrip force control.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- Dual-Tasking Exacerbates Force and Neural Control Unsteadiness in Older Adults With Sarcopenia.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
- The effect of menstrual cycle timing on female elbow flexion force steadiness.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Motor performance and aging in males and females.Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology · 2025Review
- Reduced rate of force development under fatigued conditions is associated to the decline in force complexity in adult males.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Article
- Explaining the influence of practice on the grooved pegboard times of older adults: role of force steadiness.Experimental brain research · 2024Article
- Influence of visual feedback and cognitive challenge on the age-related changes in force steadiness.Experimental brain research · 2024Article
- Neuromuscular behaviour in the first dorsal interosseus following mental fatigue.Experimental physiology · 2024Article
- Cognitive challenge as a probe to expose sex- and age-related differences during static contractions.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Review
- Mental calculation increases physiological postural tremor, but does not influence physiological goal-directed kinetic tremor.European journal of applied physiology · 2022Article
- Tremor, finger and hand dexterity and force steadiness, do not change after mental fatigue in healthy humans.PloS one · 2022Article
- Force variability is mostly not motor noise: Theoretical implications for motor control.PLoS computational biology · 2021Article
- Force Control and Motor Unit Firing Behavior Following Mental Fatigue in Young Female and Male Adults.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
A cognitive challenge when imposed during a low-force isometric contraction will exacerbate sex- and age-related decreases in force steadiness, but the mechanism is not known. We determined the role of oscillations in the common synaptic input to motor units on force steadiness during a muscle contraction with a concurrent cognitive challenge. Forty-nine young adults (19-30 yr; 25 women, 24 men) and 36 old adults (60-85 yr; 19 women, 17 men) performed a cognitive challenge (counting backward by 13) during an isometric elbow flexion task at 5% of maximal voluntary contraction. Single-motor units were decomposed from high-density surface EMG recordings. For a subgroup of participants, motor units were matched during control and cognitive challenge trials, so the same motor unit was analyzed across conditions. Reduced force steadiness was associated with greater oscillations in the synaptic input to motor units during both control and cognitive challenge trials ( r = 0.45-0.47, P < 0.01). Old adults and young women showed greater oscillations in the common synaptic input to motor units and decreased force steadiness when the cognitive challenge was imposed, but young men showed no change across conditions (session × age × sex, P < 0.05). Oscillations in the common synaptic input to motor units is a potential mechanism for altered force steadiness when a cognitive challenge is imposed during low-force contractions in young women and old adults. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We found that oscillations in the common synaptic input to motor units were associated with a reduction in force steadiness when a cognitive challenge was imposed during low-force contractions of the elbow flexor muscles in young women and old men and women but not young men. Age- and sex-related muscle weakness was associated with these changes.
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