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Nonetheless, how each modality impacts the excitability of corticospinal and reticulospinal pathways controlling the lower limb remains poorly understood. Here, we tested how single 30-minute sessions of cue-paced motor skill and isometric resistance training modulate corticospinal, reticulospinal, and spinal excitability in unimpaired adults (N = 23). Using motor-evoked potentials via transcranial magnetic stimulation, we found that both training types increased corticospinal excitability, with more substantial effects following motor skill training. In contrast, reticulospinal tract excitability\u2014assessed by StartReact responses\u2014and spinal excitability\u2014assessed by H\/M ratios, F-wave response amplitude, and persistence\u2014remained largely unchanged. These results suggest that short-term training selectively enhances corticospinal tract excitability without a measurable impact on spinal or reticulospinal circuits. This pathway-specific response may inform strategies for targeting neural plasticity in rehabilitation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.05.21.655351","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,27]],"date-time":"2025-05-27T05:25:15Z","timestamp":1748323515000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Transient effects in corticospinal and reticulospinal tract excitability induced by motor skill and isometric resistance training"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1265-2945","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rachel","family":"Hawthorn","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9239-2307","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Natalie","family":"Phelps","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5887-3472","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carolyn","family":"Atkinson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1144-3942","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodolfo","family":"Keesey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-6392-3922","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zachary","family":"Seitz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8626-7440","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Haolin","family":"Nie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0068-7124","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ismael","family":"Se\u00e1\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2025052810451261000_2025.05.21.655351v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0079-6123(06)57016-5"},{"key":"2025052810451261000_2025.05.21.655351v1.2","first-page":"354906","article-title":"Pathophysiology of Spasticity: Implications for Neurorehabilitation","volume":"2014","year":"2014","journal-title":"BioMed Research International"},{"key":"2025052810451261000_2025.05.21.655351v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-018-0175-7"},{"key":"2025052810451261000_2025.05.21.655351v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1803588"},{"key":"2025052810451261000_2025.05.21.655351v1.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-018-0649-2"},{"key":"2025052810451261000_2025.05.21.655351v1.6","unstructured":"Smith, A. 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