Influence of Fast and Slow Imagined Muscle Contractions on Muscle Function or Central Nervous System Properties

Last updated: October 7, 2024
Sponsor: Kennesaw State University
Overall Status: Active - Recruiting

Phase

N/A

Condition

N/A

Treatment

Imagined muscle contractions

Clinical Study ID

NCT06627491
MI_KA
  • Ages 18-30
  • All Genders
  • Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Summary

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to learn if imagining fast or slow muscle contractions causes different responses for nervous system excitability and muscle function in young, healthy males and females in. The main questions are:

Does imagining fast muscle contractions cause greater nervous system excitability compared to imagining slow muscle contractions?

Does imagining fast muscle contractions increase muscle function compared to imagining slow muscle contractions?

A control condition (rest) will be compared with two intervention conditions: imagining fast and imagining slow conditions, to determine if the fast and slow increase outcomes more than control and if fast has the greatest response.

Participants will:

  • Attend 4 laboratory visits

  • Perform 50 imagined contractions fast or slow, but with no physical movement

  • Physical muscle contractions and non-invasive brain stimulation would be completed before and after each condition.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be between the ages of 18 - 30

  • Healthy (no medical conditions)

  • If female, must be taking the same monophasic oral contraceptive for the past 6months

  • Have a body mass index between 18.5 - 30 kg/m2

  • Have not performed structured cardiovascular or resistance exercise in past 3 years

  • Be right-handed

  • Not currently taking stimulants, antipsychotic, anxiety, or depression medications

  • Have not suffered an upper extremity musculoskeletal injury within the past year

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • If transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is not deemed appropriate depending onyour responses to the TMS-specific questionnaire

  • Being ambidextrous

  • Although rare, you will be excluded if discernable muscle activation responses arenot possible via TMS

Study Design

Total Participants: 18
Treatment Group(s): 1
Primary Treatment: Imagined muscle contractions
Phase:
Study Start date:
October 01, 2024
Estimated Completion Date:
May 31, 2025

Study Description

Participants will complete 4 laboratory visits in a randomized order, including a familiarization session, a control condition, and 2 conditions involving imaginary muscle contractions. During visits involving imaginary muscle contractions, participants will complete 2 sets of 25 repetitions of either fast (i.e., less than 1 second to peak torque increase torque as fast as possible) or slow (i.e., 3 seconds to peak torque) isometric elbow flexions. Before and after each condition, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation will be delivered to the primary motor cortex to measure the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials and the duration of the resulting silent periods in the bicep brachii to quantify changes in corticospinal excitability and inhibition, respectively. Rapid maximal voluntary isometric contractions will be used to measure changes in rate of torque development, peak torque, and rate of muscle activation.

Connect with a study center

  • Kennesaw State University

    Kennesaw, Georgia 30144
    United States

    Active - Recruiting

Not the study for you?

Let us help you find the best match. Sign up as a volunteer and receive email notifications when clinical trials are posted in the medical category of interest to you.