Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to determine the effects of hypoxia and/or blood flow restriction (BFR) on an arm-cycling repeated sprint ability test (aRSA) and its impact on elbow flexor neuromuscular function.
Methods
Fourteen volunteers performed an aRSA (10 s sprint/20 s recovery) to exhaustion in four randomized conditions: normoxia (NOR), normoxia plus BFR (NBFR), hypoxia (FiO2 = 0.13, HYP) and hypoxia plus BFR (HBFR). Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), resting twitch force (Db10), and electromyographic responses from the elbow flexors [biceps brachii (BB)] to electrical and transcranial magnetic stimulation were obtained to assess neuromuscular function. Main effects of hypoxia, BFR, and interaction were analyzed on delta values from pre- to post-exercise.
Results
BFR and hypoxia decreased the number of sprints during aRSA with no significant cumulative effect (NOR 16 ± 8; NBFR 12 ± 4; HYP 10 ± 3 and HBFR 8 ± 3; P < 0.01). MVC decrease from pre- to post-exercise was comparable whatever the condition. M-wave amplitude (− 9.4 ± 1.9% vs. + 0.8 ± 2.0%, P < 0.01) and Db10 force (− 41.8 ± 4.7% vs. − 27.9 ± 4.5%, P < 0.01) were more altered after aRSA with BFR compared to without BFR. The exercise-induced increase in corticospinal excitability was significantly lower in hypoxic vs. normoxic conditions (e.g., BB motor evoked potential at 75% of MVC: − 2.4 ± 4.2% vs. + 16.0 ± 5.9%, respectively, P = 0.03).
Conclusion
BFR and hypoxia led to comparable aRSA performance impairments but with distinct fatigue etiology. BFR impaired the muscle excitation–contraction coupling whereas hypoxia predominantly affected corticospinal excitability indicating incapacity of the corticospinal pathway to adapt to fatigue as in normoxia.
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Abbreviations
- 1RM:
-
One-repetition maximum
- AMT:
-
Active motor threshold
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- aRSA:
-
Repeated arm-cycling sprint ability test
- BB:
-
Biceps brachii
- BFR:
-
Blood flow restriction
- CMEP:
-
Cervicomedullary motor evoked potential
- CSP:
-
Cortical silent period
- EMG:
-
Electromyography
- EMS:
-
Electrical muscle stimulation
- ENS:
-
Electrical nerve stimulation
- ERT:
-
Estimated resting twitch
- ESM:
-
Electronic supplementary material
- FiO2 :
-
Fraction of inspired oxygen
- GABA:
-
Gamma-aminobutyric acid
- HBFR :
-
Hypoxia with BFR
- HYP:
-
Hypoxia
- MEP:
-
Motor evoked potential
- M max :
-
Amplitude of the muscle compound action potential
- mRNA:
-
Messenger ribonucleic acid
- MSUP :
-
Amplitude of the muscle compound action potential during maximal voluntary contraction
- MVC:
-
Maximal voluntary contraction
- M-wave:
-
Muscle compound action potential
- NBFR :
-
Normoxia with blood flow restriction
- NIRS:
-
Near-infra-red spectroscopy
- NME:
-
Neuromuscular function evaluation
- NOR:
-
Normoxia
- PFC:
-
Pre-frontal cortex
- Pmax:
-
Maximal power
- POST:
-
After repeated arm-cycling sprint ability test
- PRE:
-
Before repeated arm-cycling sprint ability test
- RMS:
-
Root mean square
- RSA:
-
Repeated sprint ability
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- SICI:
-
Short-interval intracortical inhibition
- SIT:
-
Superimposed twitch
- SpO2 :
-
Peripheral arterial oxygen saturation
- TB:
-
Triceps brachii
- TMS:
-
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
- TSI:
-
Tissue saturation index
- TTE:
-
Time to exhaustion
- VA:
-
Voluntary activation
- VATMS :
-
Voluntary activation assessed with TMS
- η 2p :
-
Partial eta-squared
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks are given to the participants for their dedication, commitment, and cooperation with this study and to Naiandra Dittrich for her assistance during experimental set up and data acquisition.
Funding
Funding was provided by University Savoie Mont Blanc and the French Conseil Savoie Mont Blanc.
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GPM, FB, NP, and TR designed the study methodology. AP and SW collected the data and analyzed the results. AP, SW, and TR drafted the article. All authors reviewed and revised the work. All authors reviewed the final article and approved it for submission.
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AP was supported by a doctoral research grant from University Savoie Mont Blanc and the French Conseil Savoie Mont Blanc. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Communicated by Guido Ferretti.
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Peyrard, A., Willis, S.J., Place, N. et al. Neuromuscular evaluation of arm-cycling repeated sprints under hypoxia and/or blood flow restriction. Eur J Appl Physiol 119, 1533–1545 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04143-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04143-4