Functional relevance of resistance training-induced neuroplasticity in health and disease

Repetitive, monotonic, and effortful voluntary muscle contractions performed for just a few
weeks, i.e., resistance training, can substantially increase maximal voluntary force in the
practiced task and can also increase gross motor performance. The increase in motor
performance is often accompanied by neuroplastic adaptations in the central nervous system.
While historical data assigned functional relevance to such adaptations induced by resistance
training, this claim has not yet been systematically and critically examined in the context of
motor performance across the lifespan in health and disease. A review of muscle activation, brain
and peripheral nerve stimulation, and imaging data revealed that increases in motor performance
and neuroplasticity tend to be uncoupled, making a mechanistic link between neuroplasticity and
motor performance inconclusive. We recommend new approaches, including causal mediation
analytical and hypothesis-driven models to substantiate the functional relevance of resistance
training-induced neuroplasticity in the improvements of gross motor function across the lifespan
in health and disease