Enzo PIPONNIER : Effects of muscle group, muscle length and metabolic profile on differences in neuromuscular fatigue between prepubertal children and adults

Summary: The aims of this PhD thesis were to quantify the effects of (i) force level differences, using different muscle groups and muscle lengths, and (ii) of metabolic profile differences on the differences...

Summary: The aims of this PhD thesis were to quantify the effects of (i) force level differences, using different muscle groups and muscle lengths, and (ii) of metabolic profile differences on the differences in development and etiology of the neuromuscular fatigue between prepubertal children and adults, as well as (iii) to increase our knowledge about the mechanisms of the neuromuscular fatigue in prepubertal children.

The results of this PhD thesis showed that force level differences could be a factor explaining the difference in development and etiology of the neuromuscular fatigue between children and adults. However, this factor is not enough to explain all the differences in fatigue between both populations. Indeed, our results also highlighted that metabolic profile differences could be significantly explained the difference in development and etiology of the neuromuscular fatigue between children and adults. In addition, the results of our studies reported that children display lower peripheral fatigue and greater central fatigue than adults after an intermittent maximal fatigue exercise. This lower peripheral fatigue is associated with a lower alteration of the contractile properties, the excitation-contraction coupling and a better adaptation of the muscle oxygenation in prepubertal children.

Our results suggested that spinal fatigue could not explained the differences in central fatigue between children and adults, and that the greater central fatigue in children could be attributed to greater supra-spinal fatigue.

Biography: Enzo Piponnier, PhD, Doctor from the University of Clermont Ferrand since September 2018. He is currently research assistant in the AME2P lab (University of Clermont Ferrand).

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