From U Puerto Rico: Understanding sarcopenia at the single muscle cell level

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22239884

Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2012 Feb;23(1):201-7, xiii. Epub 2011 Dec 13.

Aging of human muscle: understanding sarcopenia at the single muscle cell level.

Frontera WR, Zayas AR, Rodriguez N.

Source

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00936, USA. walter.frontera@upr.edu

Abstract

The loss of muscle mass with age, also known as sarcopenia, is a major scientific and public health problem. Muscle atrophy is associated with the loss of functional capacity and poor health outcomes in elderly men and women. A detailed understanding of this problem in humans can be enhanced by the use of experiments with single muscle fibers. It is likely that both muscle atrophy and a decrease in muscle-fiber quality contribute to muscle dysfunction among the elderly. A better understanding of sarcopenia at the single-fiber level may lead to the design of more effective rehabilitative interventions.