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u/Yobfesh

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Ageing does not impair motor neuron adaptations: comparable motor unit responses to strength training in young and older adults

  • We assessed whether a short-term intensive strength training intervention, previously shown to increase spinal motor output to the muscle significantly in young adults, would also be effective in older adults.
  • High-density surface EMG was used to identify and longitudinally track the same motor units before and after a 4 week isometric strength training intervention.
  • We found significant strength gains in older adults, with the increase in muscle force output being positively associated with higher motor unit discharge rate and persistent inward currents, indicating that neural drive enhancement was a key contributor to the observed improvements in force.
  • Despite age-related motor neuron remodelling, the older nervous system remains highly responsive to strength training, exhibiting qualitatively similar but attenuated motor unit adaptations compared with young adults.
physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
u/Yobfesh — 15 days ago