Neural mechanisms of ischemic preconditioning on muscular performance

• Grant number: 18/17245-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2018
• End date: April 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physical Education
• Principal Investigator: Camila Coelho Greco
• Grantee: Rogério Santos de Oliveira Cruz
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Ischemic preconditioning (IP) consists of restricting the arterial blood inflow intermittently to an appendicular vascular bed of interest, triggering a potent endogenous response that has been shown to protect various tissues and organs against ischemia-reperfusion injury. When applied on the limbs, acute IP has been shown to improve human motor performance in the most varied exercise modalities, but its exact underlying pathways remain unknown. In a 24-month postdoctoral period in UNESP but planning for an additional year of research internship abroad at Aalborg University, Denmark, the candidate will collaborate with international renowned researchers to investigate the potential neural mechanisms of ischemic preconditioning (IP) on human motor performance. Based in his own studies and in literature, the candidate has been proposing that IP operates via central processing of nociceptive inputs, resulting in a higher motor output from the spinal cord. In other words, it seems to have a neurogenic nature. According to this template, two independent studies involving isometric ankle contractions will be conducted. The first study will focus on the central and peripheral aspects of IP during maximal voluntary plantar flexions. Briefly, it could be hypothesized that only variables linked to a higher central motor drive/output would be affected by the IP procedure. The second study will be able to determine whether IP changes the pattern of muscle recruitment via decoding high-density electromyographic signals into activation of motor units. Its overall aim is to investigate the prospective actions of limb IP upon the neuromuscular, perceptual and metabolic responses to a submaximal dorsiflexion performance. It is hypothesized that IP will enhance neural drive and performance, increasing the aerobic contribution and attenuating the levels of peripheral fatigue and muscle pain during exercise. The understanding of the events behind the ergogenic effect of IP go beyond human motor performance studies, contributing to unraveling the mechanisms underlying the recognized benefits of the procedure in the clinical context. In addition, the findings will allow the understanding of more basic features of the neural modulation of motor control. At the end of this journey, the candidate expects to broaden his horizons on the different neurophysiological and metabolic aspects of exercise performance and to bring recently developed technologies to be implemented in UNESP and Brazil.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TURNES, TIAGO; CRUZ, HROGERIO S. O.; CAPUTO, FABRIZIO; DE AGUIAR, RAFAEL A.. The Impact of Preconditioning Strategies Designed to Improve 2000-m Rowing Ergometer Performance in Trained Rowers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE, v. 14, n. 7, p. 871-879, AUG 2019. (18/17245-0)

DE OLIVEIRA CRUZ, ROGERIO SANTOS; PEREIRA, KAYO LEONARDO; DE AGUIAR, RAFAEL ALVES; TURNES, TIAGO; DENADAI, BENEDITO SERGIO; CAPUTO, FABRIZIO. Effects of ischemic conditioning on maximal voluntary plantar flexion contractions. JOURNAL OF ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND KINESIOLOGY, v. 48, p. 37-43, OCT 2019. (18/17245-0)