title: Aerobic exercise enhances neural correlates of motor skill learning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Repetitive, in-phase bimanual motor training tasks can expand the excitable cortical area of the trained muscles. Recent evidence suggests that an acute bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can enhance the induction of rapid motor plasticity at the motor hotspot. However, these changes have not been investigated throughout the entire cortical representation. Furthermore, it is unclear how exercise-induced changes in excitability may relate to motor performance. We investigated whether aerobic exercise could enhance the neural correlates of motor learning. We hypothesized that the combination of exercise and training would increase the excitable cortical area to a greater extent than either exercise or training alone, and that the addition of exercise would enhance performance on a motor training task.
  
  
  METHODS
  25 young, healthy, right-handed individuals were recruited and divided into two groups and three experimental conditions. The exercise group performed exercise alone (EX) and exercise followed by training (EXTR) while the training group performed training alone (TR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The combination of exercise and training increased excitability within the cortical map of the trained muscle to a greater extent than training alone. However, there was no difference in performance between the two groups. These results indicate that exercise may enhance the cortical adaptations to motor skill learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. Electronic address: amsingh@uwaterloo.ca.
authors.forename: Amaya M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Jason L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Neva
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: W Richard
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Staines
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
keywords: Cortical maps; Exercise; Motor learning; Plasticity; Primary motor cortex; Transcranial magnetic stimulation