Vigorous systemic exercise stimulates a cascade of molecular and cellular processes that enhance central nervous system (CNS) plasticity and performance. The influence of heat stress on CNS performance and learning is novel. We designed two experiments to determine whether passive heat stress (1) facilitated motor cortex excitability and (2) improved motor task acquisition compared to no heat stress.
Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) were collected before and after 30min of heat stress at 73°C. A second cohort of subjects performed a motor learning task using the FDI either following heat or the no heat condition.
Heat stress increased heart rate to 65% of age-predicted maximum. After heat, mean resting MEP amplitude increased 48% (p<0.05). MEP stimulus-response amplitudes did not differ according to stimulus intensity. In the second experiment, heat stress caused a significant decrease in absolute and variable error (p<0.05) during a novel movement task using the FDI.
Passive environmental heat stress (1) increases motor cortical excitability, and (2) enhances performance in a motor skill acquisition task.
Controlled heat stress may prime the CNS to enhance motor skill acquisition during rehabilitation.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 6. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 12 May 2023.
All research outputs
#9,535,097
of 34,265,936 outputs
Outputs from Clinical Neurophysiology
#1,071
of 5,602 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#88,916
of 321,756 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Clinical Neurophysiology
#10
of 89 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,265,936 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 72nd percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,602 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.6. This one has done well, scoring higher than 80% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 321,756 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 72% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 89 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 88% of its contemporaries.
