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To what extent is hindlimb suspension a model of disuse?
Author(s) -
Michel Robin N.,
Gardiner Phillip F.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.880130714
Subject(s) - hindlimb , muscle atrophy , ankle , anatomy , soleus muscle , habituation , tetrodotoxin , atrophy , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , biology , chemistry , neuroscience , skeletal muscle , endocrinology
The extent to which the remaining active or passive components of musclemechanical stress not associated with weightbearing are involved in preserving muscle morphological and functional characteristics in the rodent hindlimb suspension model is not known. Such information would be relevant to the construction of appropriate countermeasures for the disuse atrophy associated with muscle unloading. This question was addressed by superimposing 2 weeks of hindlimb suspension and neuromuscular quiescence, achieved by the chronic neural application of the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin. A major portion of the muscle size characteristics of the fast anti‐gravity gastrocnemius and plantaris, and the functional characteristics of the plantaris, were maintained by the full range voluntary activity remaining after suspension. Muscle mass of the slow soleus was compromised regardless of this residual activity. Indeed, for fast ankle extensors, hindlimb unloading resembles more closely a model of normal usage than of disuse, but forslow extensors this condition appears to be extremely detrimental.