ArticlePhysiological reports2016
Motor unit number estimates and neuromuscular transmission in the tibialis anterior of master athletes: evidence that athletic older people are not spared from age-related motor unit remodeling.
Article in Physiological reports, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 115 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring motor unit and neuromuscular junction dysfunction in aging and sarcopenia: insights from electromyography in systematic review.GeroScience · 2026Pooled it
- Shatavari supplementation in postmenopausal women alters the skeletal muscle proteome and pathways involved in training adaptation.European journal of nutrition · 2024Trial
- Unilateral Quadriceps Fatigue Induces Greater Impairments of Ipsilateral versus Contralateral Elbow Flexors and Plantar Flexors Performance in Physically Active Young Adults.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2021Trial
- Electrical bioimpedance spectral markers distinguish balance ability in older adults without provoking fall risk.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Neuromuscular junction failure in sarcopenia is linked to NaV1.4 loss and reversed by ClC-1 inhibition.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Article
- The Impact of Ageing on Skeletal Muscle: Roles of Mitochondrial Dysregulation, Systemic Communication, and Exercise.Journal of cellular physiology · 2026Review
- Muscle fibre denervation in ageing.Clinical science (London, England : 1979) · 2026Review
- Exercise during 14 days of head down tilt bedrest attenuates motor unit impairments in older humans.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Neuromuscular and Functional Adaptations Promoted by Lower Limb Isometric Training with NMES Conditioning Contractions in Older Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Rapid Re-activation of Functionally Inhibited Hamstring Muscles via Real-Time EMG Visual Feedback in an Asymptomatic Masters Sprinter: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- The Neuromuscular Junction: A Shared Vulnerability in Aging and Disease.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2025Review
- Article
- Aging Skeletal Muscles: What Are the Mechanisms of Age-Related Loss of Strength and Muscle Mass, and Can We Impede Its Development and Progression?International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Mitigating disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy in ageing: Resistance exercise as a critical countermeasure.Experimental physiology · 2024Review
- Sarcopenia Diagnostic Technique Based on Artificial Intelligence Using Bio-signal of Neuromuscular System: A Proof-of-Concept Study.Brain & NeuroRehabilitation · 2024Article
- Pedaling Asymmetry Reflected by Bilateral EMG Complexity in Chronic Stroke.Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of a ketogenic diet on motor function and motor unit number estimation in aged C57BL/6 mice.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Article
- Comparing the Impacts of Testosterone and Exercise on Lean Body Mass, Strength and Aerobic Fitness in Aging Men.Sports medicine - open · 2024Review
- Regional recruitment and differential behavior of motor units during postural control in older adults.Journal of neurophysiology · 2023Article
- Emergence and Progression of Behavioral Motor Deficits and Skeletal Muscle Atrophy across the Adult Lifespan of the Rat.Biology · 2023Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Muscle motor unit numbers decrease markedly in old age, while remaining motor units are enlarged and can have reduced neuromuscular junction transmission stability. However, it is possible that regular intense physical activity throughout life can attenuate this remodeling. The aim of this study was to compare the number, size, and neuromuscular junction transmission stability of tibialis anterior (TA) motor units in healthy young and older men with those of exceptionally active master runners. The distribution of motor unit potential (MUP) size was determined from intramuscular electromyographic signals recorded in healthy male Young (mean ± SD, 26 ± 5 years), Old (71 ± 4 years) and Master Athletes (69 ± 3 years). Relative differences between groups in numbers of motor units was assessed using two methods, one comparing MUP size and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) determined with MRI, the other comparing surface recorded MUPs with maximal compound muscle action potentials and commonly known as a "motor unit number estimate (MUNE)". Near fiber (NF) jiggle was measured to assess neuromuscular junction transmission stability. TA CSA did not differ between groups. MUNE values for the Old and Master Athletes were 45% and 40%, respectively, of the Young. Intramuscular MUPs of Old and Master Athletes were 43% and 56% larger than Young. NF jiggle was slightly higher in the Master Athletes, with no difference between Young and Old. These results show substantial and similar motor unit loss and remodeling in Master Athletes and Old individuals compared with Young, which suggests that lifelong training does not attenuate the age-related loss of motor units.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.