Brain and Muscle Plasticity During Immobilization

McGill University

Status

Completed

Conditions

Muscle Atrophy

Treatments

Behavioral: Immobilization

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT05115643

A00-M01-21A

Details and patient eligibility

About

Patients in rehabilitation may undergo periods of prolonged limb immobilization in response to injury, surgery, or illness. Due to disuse, the size and strength of muscles controlling the affected limb can decrease significantly, possibly resulting in physical impairment or lower quality of life during the recovery phase. Prior immobilization studies have shown that the rate and degree of decline in muscle strength exceeds that of muscle size, indicating that determinants of muscle strength unrelated to muscle size may further contribute to functional changes during immobilization.

The purpose of this study is to describe the changes in muscle strength, muscle size, corticospinal excitability, voluntary activation, M1 cortical thickness, and resting state functional connectivity following a 2-week limb immobilization period in young women.

Enrollment

12 patients

Sex

Female

Ages

18 to 35 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Biologically female
Right-hand dominant
Body mass index between 18.5-30 kg/m^2 (inclusive)
Regular menstrual cycle
Be able to maintain a habitual diet throughout the duration of the study

Exclusion criteria

Use of tobacco
Pregnancy
A history of brain trauma
Suffers from a neurological disease or movement disorder
Peripheral nerve damage
Use of medications known to affect protein metabolism (i.e., corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or prescription strength acne medications)
Diagnosed with or suspects having a psychiatric illness
Use of dietary supplements known to affect muscle size (i.e., creatine, fish oil)
Past or present diagnosis of an eating disorder by a physician or registered dietician
Possesses any metal implants (e.g. artificial joints, pacemakers, stents) or non-removeable medical devices that are contraindicative for magnetic resonance imaging (e.g. insulin pumps)