Ikarashi Koyuki, Iguchi Kaho, Yamazaki Yudai, Yamashiro Koya, Baba Yasuhiro, Sato Daisuke
Field of Health and Sports, Graduate School of Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Niigata, Japan.
Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2020 Jun 16;1(1):167-178. doi: 10.1089/whr.2020.0061. eCollection 2020.
Ankle sprain (AS) is one of the most common injuries among women engaged in competitive sports and recreational activities. Many studies have shown that several factors contributing to AS are influenced by the menstrual cycle. Despite the finding that abnormal joint position sense (JPS) is one of the major risk factors of AS, the alteration of the JPS throughout the menstrual cycle and its associated neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to examine whether the menstrual cycle phases affect neural excitability in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and JPS. Fourteen right-footed women participated in this study. Somatosensory-evoked potential and paired-pulse inhibition (PPI) were measured to assess S1 excitatory and inhibitory functions. Ankle JPS was measured using an active joint position matching method. Menstrual syndrome was evaluated using the menstrual distress questionnaire. All assessments were conducted in the follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases. The two main findings of this study were as follows: First, PPI decreased in the ovulatory phase than in the follicular phase. This may have been the reason for estrogen altering the neural inhibition and facilitation balance throughout the menstrual cycle. Second, JPS was not changed during the menstrual cycle. In conclusion, phases of the menstrual cycle affect the neural excitability in S1 as shown by the decreased PPI in the ovulatory phase, and the ankle JPS was unchanged throughout the menstrual cycle.
踝关节扭伤（AS）是从事竞技运动和娱乐活动的女性中最常见的损伤之一。许多研究表明，导致AS的几个因素受到月经周期的影响。尽管发现异常关节位置觉（JPS）是AS的主要危险因素之一，但整个月经周期中JPS的变化及其相关的神经机制仍不清楚。本研究旨在探讨月经周期阶段是否会影响初级体感皮层（S1）的神经兴奋性和JPS。14名右利足女性参与了本研究。测量体感诱发电位和配对脉冲抑制（PPI）以评估S1的兴奋和抑制功能。使用主动关节位置匹配方法测量踝关节JPS。使用月经困扰问卷评估月经综合征。所有评估均在卵泡期、排卵期和黄体期进行。本研究的两个主要发现如下：第一，排卵期的PPI比卵泡期降低。这可能是雌激素在整个月经周期中改变神经抑制和易化平衡的原因。第二，月经周期中JPS没有变化。总之，月经周期阶段会影响S1的神经兴奋性，如排卵期PPI降低所示，并且整个月经周期中踝关节JPS没有变化。
