Neuromuscular fatigue during high-intensity intermittent exercise in individuals with intellectual disability

This study examined neuromuscular fatigue after high-intensity intermittent exercise in 10 men with mild intellectual disability (ID) in comparison with 10 controls. Both groups performed three maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) of knee extension with 5 min in-between. The highest level achieved was selected as reference MVC. The fatiguing exercise consists of five sets with a maximal number of flexion-extension cycles at 80% of the one maximal repetition (1RM) for the right leg at 90° with 90 s rest interval between sets. The MVC was tested again after the last set. Peak force and electromyography (EMG) signals were measured during the MVC tests. Root Mean Square (RMS) and Median Frequency (MF) were calculated. Neuromuscular efficiency (NME) was calculated as the ratio of peak force to the RMS. Before exercise, individuals with ID had a lower MVC (p < 0.05) and a lower RMS (p < 0.05). No significant difference between groups in MF and NME. After exercise, MVC decreases significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). Individuals with ID have greater force decline (p < 0.001 vs. p < 0.01). RMS decreased significantly (p < 0.001) whereas the NME increased significantly (p < 0.05) in individuals with ID, but both remained unchanged in controls. The MF decreased significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). In conclusion, individuals with ID presented a lower peak force than individuals without ID. After a high-intensity intermittent exercise, individuals with ID demonstrated a greater force decline caused by neural activation failure. When rehabilitation and sport train ID individuals, they should consider this nervous system weakness.