The role of central drive and afferent feedback on corticospinal excitability during arm cycling

Soran, Niketa (2017) The role of central drive and afferent feedback on corticospinal excitability during arm cycling. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Corticospinal excitability to the biceps brachii muscle is modulated in a phase-dependent manner during arm cycling, being high during the elbow flexion phase and low during the elbow extension phase. As the intensity of cycling is increased by increasing the cadence, however, corticospinal excitability to the biceps brachii is enhanced during the elbow extension while spinal excitability is decreased. This led to the conclusion that the increase in corticospinal excitability during elbow extension was likely mediated via supraspinal mechanisms, though the potential mechanisms were not examined. This gave rise to the current study, the primary objective of which was determine whether the previous demonstration of a cadence-dependent increase in supraspinal excitability to the biceps brachii during the elbow extension phase of arm cycling was due to central drive and/or afferent feedback.

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