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Pharmacological Blockade of Muscle Afferents and Perception of Effort: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Background

The perception of effort provides information on task difficulty and influences physical exercise regulation and human behavior. This perception differs from other-exercise related perceptions such as pain. There is no consensus on the role of group III/IV muscle afferents as a signal processed by the brain to generate the perception of effort.

Objective

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effect of pharmacologically blocking muscle afferents on the perception of effort.

Methods

Six databases were searched to identify studies measuring the ratings of perceived effort during physical exercise, with and without pharmacological blockade of muscle afferents. Articles were coded based on the operational measurement used to distinguish studies in which perception of effort was assessed specifically (effort dissociated) or as a composite experience including other exercise-related perceptions (effort not dissociated). Articles that did not provide enough information for coding were assigned to the unclear group.

Results

The effort dissociated group (n = 6) demonstrated a slight increase in ratings of perceived effort with reduced muscle afferent feedback (standard mean change raw, 0.39; 95% confidence interval 0.13–0.64). The group effort not dissociated (n = 2) did not reveal conclusive results (standard mean change raw, − 0.29; 95% confidence interval − 2.39 to 1.8). The group unclear (n = 8) revealed a slight ratings of perceived effort decrease with reduced muscle afferent feedback (standard mean change raw, − 0.27; 95% confidence interval − 0.50 to − 0.04).

Conclusions

The heterogeneity in results between groups reveals that the inclusion of perceptions other than effort in its rating influences the ratings of perceived effort reported by the participants. The absence of decreased ratings of perceived effort in the effort dissociated group suggests that muscle afferent feedback is not a sensory signal for the perception of effort.

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Acknowledgements

The authors warmly thank the librarian Marc-Olivier Croteau for his precious assistance. The authors also thank the reviewers whose suggestions significantly helped improve the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. École de kinésiologie et des sciences de l’activite physique (EKSAP), Faculté de médecine, Université́ de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Maxime Bergevin, Marie Payen de la Garanderie, Camille Feral-Basin, Jeffrey G. Caron & Benjamin Pageaux

  2. Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, Canada

    Maxime Bergevin, Marie Payen de la Garanderie, Camille Feral-Basin, Pierre Rainville & Benjamin Pageaux

  3. School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences, Southampton, UK

    James Steele

  4. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DiBiNeM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Samuele M. Marcora

  5. Département de stomatologie, Faculté de médecine dentaire, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Pierre Rainville

  6. Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Jeffrey G. Caron

  7. Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche sur le cerveau et l’apprentissage (CIRCA), Montreal, QC, Canada

    Benjamin Pageaux

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  1. Maxime Bergevin
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Correspondence to Benjamin Pageaux.

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Funding

Maxime Bergevin is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through the Canada Graduate Scholarships—Master’s Frederick Banting and Charles Best grant, the “Formation de Maîtrise” scholarship from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec—Santé, and an MSc scholarship from the Centre de Recherche de L’Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal. Research by Benjamin Pageaux is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada—Discovery Grants Program and the Chercheur Boursier Junior 1 award from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec—Santé.

Conflict of interest

Maxime Bergevin, James Steele, Marie Payen de la Garanderie, Camille Féral-Basin, Samuele Marcora, Pierre Rainville, Jeffrey Caron, and Benjamin Pageaux have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

Data availability

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Author contributions

MB, MPDLG, SM, JC, and BP designed the study. MB and MPDLG performed the literature search. MB, MPDLG, CFB, JC, and BP designed the decision flowchart to code identified articles. MP and MPDLG performed the risks of bias assessment. JS performed the statistical analyses. MB, JS, and BP created the figures and tables. MB and JS wrote the first draft of this manuscript. JS, SM, PR, and BP revised the first draft and final version of this manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript.

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Bergevin, M., Steele, J., Payen de la Garanderie, M. et al. Pharmacological Blockade of Muscle Afferents and Perception of Effort: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med 53, 415–435 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01762-4

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