• António Mesquita Montes, João Baptista, Carlos Crasto, Cristina Argel de Melo, Rita Santos, and João Paulo Vilas-Boas.
• Department of Physiotherapy, and Activity and Human Movement Study Center (CEMAH), School of Allied Health Technologies, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Valente Perfeito 322, 4400-330 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal; Faculty of Sport, CIFI2D, and Porto Biomechanics Laboratory (LABIOMEP), University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido Costa 91, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: antoniomesquitamontes@gmail.com.
• J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2016 Oct 1; 30: 143-50.

AbstractCentral Nervous System modulates the motor activities of all trunk muscles to concurrently regulate the intra-abdominal and intra-thoracic pressures. The study aims to evaluate the effect of inspiratory and expiratory loads on abdominal muscle activity during breathing in healthy subjects. Twenty-three higher education students (21.09±1.56years; 8males) breathed at a same rhythm (inspiration: two seconds; expiration: four seconds) without load and with 10% of the maximal inspiratory or expiratory pressures, in standing. Surface electromyography was performed to assess the activation intensity of rectus abdominis, external oblique and transversus abdominis/internal oblique muscles, during inspiration and expiration. During inspiration, transversus abdominis/internal oblique activation intensity was significantly lower with inspiratory load when compared to without load (p=0.009) and expiratory load (p=0.002). During expiration, the activation intensity of all abdominal muscles was significantly higher with expiratory load when compared to without load (p<0.05). The activation intensity of external oblique (p=0.036) and transversus abdominis/internal oblique (p=0.022) was significantly higher with inspiratory load when compared to without load. Transversus abdominis/internal oblique activation intensity was significantly higher with expiratory load when compared to inspiratory load (p<0.001). Transversus abdominis/internal oblique seems to be the most relevant muscle to modulate the intra-abdominal pressure for the breathing mechanics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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