ArticleSkeletal muscle2024
Age-related differences in the loss and recovery of serial sarcomere number following disuse atrophy in rats.
Article in Skeletal muscle, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Alterations to longitudinal muscle morphology and mechanical function following immobilization and recovery in female ovariectomized and intact rats.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Stretch-shortening cycles mitigate single muscle fibre power deficits following a two-week immobilization of the rat hindlimb.Journal of muscle research and cell motility · 2026Article
- Tibialis anterior pennation angle at ICU admission and 60-day mortality in critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Functional recovery patterns in adolescent versus adult femoroacetabular impingement patients undergoing nonoperative management.International orthopaedics · 2026Observational
- Macrophage metabolic rewiring rejuvenates muscle Raman signatures and cellular remodeling during regrowth in aged mice.JCI insight · 2025Article
- Submaximal Eccentric Training During Immobilization Does Not Prevent Serial Sarcomere Loss or Impairments in Mechanical Function in Old or Young Rats.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2025Article
- Myotendinous junction: a microenvironment favorable for short-term adaptations to resistance training following gastrocnemius muscle atrophy.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Submaximal eccentric resistance training increases serial sarcomere number and improves dynamic muscle performance in old rats.Physiological reports · 2024Article
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Abstract
backgroundOlder adults exhibit a slower recovery of muscle mass following disuse atrophy than young adults. At a smaller scale, muscle fibre cross-sectional area (i.e., sarcomeres in parallel) exhibits this same pattern. Less is known, however, about age-related differences in the recovery of muscle fibre length, driven by increases in serial sarcomere number (SSN), following disuse. The purpose of this study was to investigate age-related differences in SSN adaptations and muscle mechanical function during and following muscle immobilization. We hypothesized that older adult rats would experience a similar magnitude of SSN loss during immobilization, however, take longer to recover SSN than young following cast removal, which would limit the recovery of muscle mechanical function.
methodsWe casted the plantar flexors of young (8 months) and old (32 months) male rats in a shortened position for 2 weeks, and assessed recovery during 4 weeks of voluntary ambulation. Following sacrifice, legs were fixed in formalin for measurement of soleus SSN and physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) with the un-casted soleus acting as a control. Ultrasonographic measurements of pennation angle (PA) and muscle thickness (MT) were conducted weekly. In-vivo active and passive torque-angle relationships were constructed pre-cast, post-cast, and following 4 weeks of recovery.
resultsFrom pre- to post-cast, young and older adult rats experienced similar decreases in SSN (-20%, P < 0.001), muscle wet weight (-25%, P < 0.001), MT (-30%), PA (-15%, P < 0.001), and maximum isometric torque (-40%, P < 0.001), but there was a greater increase in passive torque in older (+ 180%, P < 0.001) compared to young adult rats (+ 68%, P = 0.006). Following cast removal, young exhibited quicker recovery of SSN and MT than old, but SSN recovered sooner than PA and MT in both young and old. PCSA nearly recovered and active torque fully recovered in young adult rats, whereas in older adult rats these remained unrecovered at ∼ 75%.
conclusionsThis study showed that older adult rats retain a better ability to recover longitudinal compared to parallel muscle morphology following cast removal, making SSN a highly adaptable target for improving muscle function in elderly populations early on during rehabilitation.
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