Michael Kjaer

Effects of ageing on single muscle fibre contractile function following short-term immobilisation

Non‐Technical Summary  The contractile function of human single muscle fibres is of particular importance for whole muscle contractile function. Yet, whereas ageing and short‐term disuse (immobilisation) separately have been shown to impair single fibre contractile function, very little attention has been given to their combined effects. We show that 2 weeks of lower limb immobilisation reduces force and specific force (force per cross‐sectional area) of both slow and fast single muscle fibres and that this occurred to a similar extent in young and old individuals. In contrast, disuse led to reduced Ca2+ sensitivity in fast fibres of young and in slow fibres of old, respectively. These results help us to better understand the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible for the deleterious effects of short‐term disuse on whole muscle contractile function in both young and old.

Aging impairs the recovery in mechanical muscle function following 4 days of disuse.

As aged individuals are frequently exposed to short-term disuse caused by disease or musculoskeletal injury, it is important to understand how short-term disuse and subsequent retraining affect lower limb mechanical muscle function. The purpose of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of 4 days of lower limb disuse followed by 7 days of active recovery on mechanical muscle function of the knee extensors in young (24.3±0.9 years, n=11) and old (67.2±1.0 years, n=11) recreationally active healthy males. Slow and moderate dynamic muscle strength were assessed using isokinetic dynamometry (60 and 180° s(-1), respectively) along with isometric muscle strength and rapid muscle force capacity examined as contractile rate of force development (RFD), Impulse, and relative RFD (rRFD) during the initial phase of contraction (100 ms time interval relative to onset of contraction). Prior to disuse, marked age-related differences (p<0.05) were observed in isometric and dynamic muscle strength (~35%) as well as in RFD and Impulse (~39%). Following disuse, young and old individuals experienced comparable decrements (p<0.05) in isometric strength (~9%), slow dynamic strength (~13%), and RFD and Impulse (~19%), whereas old individuals only experienced decrements (p<0.05) in moderate dynamic strength (12%) and rRFD (~17%). Following recovery, all measures of mechanical muscle function were restored in young individuals compared to pre-disuse values, while isometric, slow and moderate dynamic muscle strength remained suppressed (p<0.05) in old individuals (~8%) along with a tendency to suppressed RFD100 (p=0.068). In conclusion, 4 days of lower limb disuse led to marked decrements in knee extensor mechanical muscle function in both young and old individuals, yet with greater decrements observed in moderate dynamic strength and rapid muscle force capacity in old individuals. While 7 days of recovery - including free ambulation, one test session and a single session of strength training - was sufficient to restore mechanical muscle function in young individuals, old individuals appeared to have an impaired ability to fully recover as evidenced by suppressed values of isometric and dynamic muscle strength and rapid muscle force capacity.

Four days of muscle disuse impairs single fiber contractile function in young and old healthy men.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of 4 days of disuse (knee brace) on contractile function of isolated vastus lateralis fibers (n=486) from 11 young (24.3±0.9 yrs) and 11 old (67.2±1.0 yrs) healthy men having comparable levels of physical activity. Prior to disuse single fiber specific force (maximal Ca(2+)-activated force per cross-sectional area) was lower in MHC I vs. IIa fibers (p<0.05) both in young (44%) and old (32%), and specific force of MHC IIa fibers was lower in old vs. young (19%, p<0.05). Further, Ca(2+) sensitivity was higher in MHC I vs. IIa fibers (p<0.05) in both age groups. Following disuse single fiber specific force decreased (p<0.05) in MHC I fibers in young (-19%) and old (-17%), and in MHC IIa fibers in young (-21%) but not in old (-11%; ns). The extent of these decreases did not differ between young and old. Ca(2+) sensitivity decreased (p<0.05) in MHC I fibers in old (-0.11 pCa units) but not in young (-0.08 pCa units; ns). The extent of these decreases was greater in old vs. young (p<0.05). In conclusion, 4 days of lower limb disuse led to marked impairments in single muscle fiber specific force independently of age, while changes in Ca(2+) sensitivity were dependent on age and MHC isoform composition. The present findings stress the importance of determining and implementing effective preventive and rehabilitative approaches for old individuals exposed to as little as 4 days of disuse.