Electrical Stimulation Attenuates Denervation and Age-Related Atrophy in Extensor Digitorum Longus Muscles of Old Rats

Skeletal muscles of old rats and elderly humans lose muscle mass and maximum force. Denervation is a major cause of age-related muscle atrophy and weakness, because denervated fibers do not contract, and undergo atrophy. At any age, surgical denervation causes even more dramatic muscle atrophy and l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2005-04, Vol.60 (4), p.416-424
Main Authors: Dow, Douglas E., Dennis, Robert G., Faulkner, John A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Aging - pathology
Aging - physiology
Animals
Electric Stimulation Therapy
Hindlimb - innervation
Hindlimb - pathology
Isometric Contraction - physiology
Muscle Denervation
Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - ultrastructure
Muscle, Skeletal - innervation
Muscle, Skeletal - pathology
Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology
Muscular Atrophy - pathology
Muscular Atrophy - physiopathology
Muscular Atrophy - prevention & control
Muscular system
Neurons
Older people
Rats
Rats, Inbred Strains
Rodents
Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
Stress, Mechanical
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Summary:Skeletal muscles of old rats and elderly humans lose muscle mass and maximum force. Denervation is a major cause of age-related muscle atrophy and weakness, because denervated fibers do not contract, and undergo atrophy. At any age, surgical denervation causes even more dramatic muscle atrophy and loss in force than aging does. Electrical stimulation that generates tetanic contractions of denervated muscles reduces the denervation-induced declines. We investigated whether a stimulation protocol that maintains mass and force of denervated extensor digitorum longus muscles of adult rats would also maintain these properties in denervated muscles of old rats during a 2-month period of age-induced declines in these properties. Contractile activity generated by the electrical stimulation eliminated age-related losses in muscle mass and reduced the deficit in force by 50%. These data provide support for the hypothesis that during aging, lack of contractile activity in fibers contributes to muscle atrophy and weakness.
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/60.4.416