SynthesisMedicine and science in sports and exercise2020
Age-related Deficits in Voluntary Activation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
36 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Elderly may benefit more from motor imagery training in gaining muscle strength than young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of Low-Load Blood-Flow Restriction Training Versus High-Load Resistance Training on Neuromuscular Performance and Neuromuscular Activation.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2026Trial
- Gastrocnemius medialis muscle-tendon behavior during eccentric exercise in young and active older adults.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Effect of Stroke and Aging on Plantarflexor Strength and Voluntary Activation.Restorative neurology and neuroscience · 2026Article
- Ageing does not impair motor neuron adaptations: comparable motor unit responses to strength training in young and older adults.The Journal of physiology · 2026Article
- The contribution of age and sex hormones to female neuromuscular function across the adult lifespan.The Journal of physiology · 2026Article
- Effects of acidosis and inorganic phosphate on CaAmerican journal of physiology. Cell physiology · 2026Article
- Acute changes in ankle dorsiflexor strength and fNIRS-Derived cortical activation following a single session of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in healthy older adults.Frontiers in aging · 2026Article
- Voluntary activation of the ankle plantar flexors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JSAMS plus · 2025Review
- Motor performance and aging in males and females.Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology · 2025Review
- The Neuromuscular Junction: A Shared Vulnerability in Aging and Disease.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025Review
- The independent effects of age and sex in performance fatigability profile after a ramp incremental cycling test.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Article
- Effects of digital physical activity interventions on muscle mechanical function in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2025Review
- Effect of maximal mental effort during elastic band training on neuromuscular adaptations in older women.Frontiers in aging · 2025Article
- Cumulative effects of HThe Journal of physiology · 2025Article
- The impact of Tai Chi's "Xuling Dingjin" posture on lumbar biomechanics during stair descent.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Minimum Electromyography Sensor Set Needed to Identify Age-Related Impairments in the Neuromuscular Control of Walking Using the Dynamic Motor Control Index.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- 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
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Whether there are age-related differences in neural drive during maximal effort contractions is not clear. This review determined the effect of age on voluntary activation during maximal voluntary isometric contractions. The literature was systematically reviewed for studies reporting voluntary activation quantified with the interpolated twitch technique (ITT) or central activation ratio (CAR) during isometric contractions in young (18-35 yr) and old adults (>60 yr; mean, ≥65 yr). Of the 2697 articles identified, 54 were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Voluntary activation was assessed with electrical stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation on five different muscle groups. Random-effects meta-analysis revealed lower activation in old compared with young adults (d = -0.45; 95% confidence interval, -0.62 to -0.29; P < 0.001), with moderate heterogeneity (52.4%). To uncover the sources of heterogeneity, subgroup analyses were conducted for muscle group, calculation method (ITT or CAR), and stimulation type (electrical stimulation or transcranial magnetic stimulation) and number (single, paired, or train stimulations). The age-related reduction in voluntary activation occurred for all muscle groups investigated except the ankle dorsiflexors. Both ITT and CAR demonstrated an age-related reduction in voluntary activation of the elbow flexors, knee extensors, and plantar flexors. ITT performed with paired and train stimulations showed lower activation for old than young adults, with no age difference for the single electrical stimulation. Together, the meta-analysis revealed that healthy older adults have a reduced capacity to activate some upper and lower limb muscles during maximal voluntary isometric contractions; however, the effect was modest and best assessed with at least paired stimulations to detect the difference.
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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.