Activity-induced morphologic changes in rat soleus nerve

Effects of Strength Training and Anabolic Steroid in the Peripheral Nerve and Skeletal Muscle Morphology of Aged Rats

Thirty male 20-month-old Wistar rats were divided into groups: IC—initial control (n = 6), FC—final control (n = 6), AC—anabolic hormone control (n = 6), ST—strength trained (n = 6) and STA—strength trained with anabolic hormone (n = 6). All groups were submitted to adaptation, familiarization and maximum load carrying test (MLCT). Strength training (6–8×/session with loads of 50%–100% MLCT, 3×/week and pause of 120 s) was performed in ladder climbing (LC) for 15 weeks. The administration of testosterone propionate (TP) was performed 2×/week (10 mg/kg) in animals in the AC and STA groups. After the experimental period, animals were euthanized and the tibial nerve and plantaris muscle removed and prepared for electron transmission and histochemistry. To compare the groups we used one-way ANOVA (post hoc Bonferroni), student’s t-tests for pre vs. post (dependent and independent variables) comparisons and significance level set at p ≤ 0.05. The following significant results were found: (a) aging decreased the number of myelinated axon fibers; (b) use of isolated TP increased the diameter of myelinated fibers, along with increased thickness of myelin sheath; (c) ST increased area of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers, together with the myelin sheath. These changes made it possible to increase the area occupied by myelinated fibers keeping their quantity and also reduce the interstitial space; and (d) association of anabolic steroid and ST increased the area of unmyelinated axons and thickness of the myelin sheath. Compared to ST, both strategies have similar results. However, Schwann cells increased significantly only in this strategy.

Resistance wheel exercise from mid-life has minimal effect on sciatic nerves from old mice in which sarcopenia was prevented

The ability of resistance exercise, initiated from mid-life, to prevent age-related changes in old sciatic nerves, was investigated in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Aging is associated with cellular changes in old sciatic nerves and also loss of skeletal muscle mass and function (sarcopenia). Mature adult mice aged 15 months (M) were subjected to increasing voluntary resistance wheel exercise (RWE) over a period of 8 M until 23 M of age. This prevented sarcopenia in the old 23 M aged male and female mice. Nerves of control sedentary (SED) males at 3, 15 and 23 M of age, showed a decrease in the myelinated axon numbers at 15 and 23 M, a decreased g-ratio and a significantly increased proportion of myelinated nerves containing electron-dense aggregates at 23 M. Myelinated axon and nerve diameter, and axonal area, were increased at 15 M compared with 3 and 23 M. Exercise increased myelinated nerve profiles containing aggregates at 23 M. S100 protein, detected with immunoblotting was increased in sciatic nerves of 23 M old SED females, but not males, compared with 15 M, with no effect of exercise. Other neuronal proteins showed no significant alterations with age, gender or exercise. Overall the RWE had no cellular impact on the aging nerves, apart from an increased number of old nerves containing aggregates. Thus the relationship between cellular changes in aging nerves, and their sustained capacity for stimulation of old skeletal muscles to help maintain healthy muscle mass in response to exercise remains unclear.

Effects of exercise training on α-motoneurons

Evidence is presented that one locus of adaptation in the “neural adaptations to training” is at the level of the α-motoneurons. With increased voluntary activity, these neurons show evidence of dendrite restructuring, increased protein synthesis, increased axon transport of proteins, enhanced neuromuscular transmission dynamics, and changes in electrophysiological properties. The latter include hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential and voltage threshold, increased rate of action potential development, and increased amplitude of the afterhyperpolarization following the action potential. Many of these changes demonstrate intensity-related adaptations and are in the opposite direction under conditions in which chronic activity is reduced. A five-compartment model of rat motoneurons that innervate fast and slow muscle fibers (termed “fast” and “slow” motoneurons in this paper), including 10 active ion conductances, was used to attempt to reproduce exercise training-induced adaptations in electrophysiological properties. The results suggest that adaptations in α-motoneurons with exercise training may involve alterations in ion conductances, which may, in turn, include changes in the gene expression of the ion channel subunits, which underlie these conductances. Interestingly, the acute neuromodulatory effects of monoamines on motoneuron properties, which would be a factor during acute exercise as these monoaminergic systems are activated, appear to be in the opposite direction to changes measured in endurance-trained motoneurons that are at rest. It may be that regular increases in motoneuronal excitability during exercise via these monoaminergic systems in fact render the motoneurons less excitable when at rest. More research is required to establish the relationships between exercise training, resting and exercise motoneuron excitability, ion channel modulation, and the effects of neuromodulators.

Motoneurones "learn" and "forget" physical activity

In spite of our knowledge of activity related adaptations in supraspinal neurones and skeletal muscles, very little is known concerning adaptations in alpha-motoneurones to alterations in chronic activity levels. Recent evidence shows that the biophysical properties of alpha-motoneurones are plastic and adapt to both increases and decreases in chronic activation. The nature of the adaptations--in resting membrane potential, spike threshold, afterhyper-polarization amplitude,and rate of depolarization during spike generation--point to involvement of density, type, location, and/or metabolic modulation of ion conductance channels in the motoneuronal membrane. These changes will have significant effects on how motoneurones respond when activated during the generation of movements, and on the effort required to sustain activation during prolonged exercise. Since the adaptations most likely involve structural changes in the motoneurones and changes in protein synthesis, and change the output response of the cells to input, they are considered to be learning responses. Future research directions for examining this issue are outlined.

Effects of space flight on the histological characteristics of the aortic depressor nerve in the adult rat: electron microscopic analysis

The effects of microgravity on the histological characteristics of the aortic depressor nerve, which is the afferent of the aortic baroreflex arc, were determined in 10 female adult rats. The rats were assigned for nursing neonates in the Space Shuttle Columbia or in the animal facility on the ground (NASA Neurolab, STS-90), and were housed for 16 days under microgravity in space (microg, n=5) or under one force of gravity on Earth (one-g, n=5). In the Schwann cell unit in which the axons of unmyelinated fibers are surrounded by one Schwann cell, the average number of axons per unit in the microg group was 2.1 +/- 1.6 (mean +/- SD, n=312) and significantly less than that in the one-g group (3.0 +/- 2.9, n=397, p<0.05). The proportion of unmyelinated fibers in the aortic depressor nerve in the microg group was 64.5 +/- 4.4% and significantly less than that in the one-g group (74.0 +/- 7.3%, p<0.05). These results show that there is a decrease in the number of high-threshold unmyelinated fibers in the aortic depressor nerve in adult rats flown on the Shuttle Orbiter, suggesting that the aortic baroreflex is depressed under microgravity during space flight.

Neural influences on sprint running: training adaptations and acute responses

Performance in sprint exercise is determined by the ability to accelerate, the magnitude of maximal velocity and the ability to maintain velocity against the onset of fatigue. These factors are strongly influenced by metabolic and anthropometric components. Improved temporal sequencing of muscle activation and/or improved fast twitch fibre recruitment may contribute to superior sprint performance. Speed of impulse transmission along the motor axon may also have implications on sprint performance. Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) has been shown to increase in response to a period of sprint training. However, it is difficult to determine if increased NCV is likely to contribute to improved sprint performance. An increase in motoneuron excitability, as measured by the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex), has been reported to produce a more powerful muscular contraction, hence maximising motoneuron excitability would be expected to benefit sprint performance. Motoneuron excitability can be raised acutely by an appropriate stimulus with obvious implications for sprint performance. However, at rest H-reflex has been reported to be lower in athletes trained for explosive events compared with endurance-trained athletes. This may be caused by the relatively high, fast twitch fibre percentage and the consequent high activation thresholds of such motor units in power-trained populations. In contrast, stretch reflexes appear to be enhanced in sprint athletes possibly because of increased muscle spindle sensitivity as a result of sprint training. With muscle in a contracted state, however, there is evidence to suggest greater reflex potentiation among both sprint and resistance-trained populations compared with controls. Again this may be indicative of the predominant types of motor units in these populations, but may also mean an enhanced reflex contribution to force production during running in sprint-trained athletes. Fatigue of neural origin both during and following sprint exercise has implications with respect to optimising training frequency and volume. Research suggests athletes are unable to maintain maximal firing frequencies for the full duration of, for example, a 100m sprint. Fatigue after a single training session may also have a neural manifestation with some athletes unable to voluntarily fully activate muscle or experiencing stretch reflex inhibition after heavy training. This may occur in conjunction with muscle damage. Research investigating the neural influences on sprint performance is limited. Further longitudinal research is necessary to improve our understanding of neural factors that contribute to training-induced improvements in sprint performance.

Size of myelinated nerve fibres is not increased by expansion of the peripheral field in cats

This study tests the hypothesis that target size regulates the size of myelinated sensory and motor fibres in peripheral nerves. Cat medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles were partially denervated and the size of the remaining nerve fibres that sprouted was examined 6.4 +/- 0.9 months later to determine whether nerve fibre size increased with target size. Electrophysiological and morphometric analyses were used to quantify myelinated nerve fibre size. Charge measurements from dorsal and ventral roots were used to electrophysiologically quantify the relative number of cut nerve fibres and the average size of the remaining intact sensory and motor nerve fibres. Medial gastrocnemius muscle and motor unit forces provided indirect measurements of the increase in target size. Conduction velocities and amplitude of unitary action potentials of motor nerve fibres innervating single motor units were also measured after partial denervation. Electrophysiological measurements of nerve fibre size and morphometric measurements of outer fibre perimeters and fibre areas concurred and demonstrated that myelinated nerve fibres supplying partially denervated MG muscles did not increase in size in parallel with the increase in the target size. Thus, unlike non-myelinated nerve fibres, the size of myelinated nerve fibres does not increase as target size increases. Retrograde control of size in non-myelinated but not in myelinated nerve fibres demonstrates differences in plasticity of neurons in the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Exercise training improves functional recovery and motor nerve conduction velocity after sciatic nerve crush lesion in the rat

OBJECTIVE

To observe the effects of exercise training on recuperation of sensorimotor function in the early phase of regeneration, and to monitor the long-term effects of exercise on electrophysiological aspects of the regenerating nerve.

DESIGN

After sciatic nerve crush in 20 male Wistar rats, one random selected group was subjected to 24 days of exercise training, whereas the other group served as sedentary controls.

INTERVENTIONS

Exercise training was induced for 24 days, starting the first postoperation day, by placing bottles of water at such a height that the exercising rats had to maximally erect on both hindpaws to drink.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Recovery of motor and sensory function in the early phase was monitored by analysis of the free walking pattern and the foot reflex withdrawal test, respectively. Electrophysiological measurements on postoperation days 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 were used to evaluate the late phase of recovery of nerve conduction velocity.

RESULTS

During the early phase of the recovery period, exercise training enhanced functional recovery. The motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), as measured in the late phase of recovery, was significantly better in the trained group than in the control group (p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that exercise training enhances the return of sensomotoric function in the early phase of recovery from peripheral nerve lesion. Furthermore, these results suggest that the beneficial effects of 24 days of exercise training after crush persist in the late phase of peripheral nerve recovery.

Fast axonal transport of labeled proteins in motoneurons of exercise-trained rats

In this study, the fast orthograde axonal transport of radiolabeled proteins was measured to determine the effects of endurance-running training on transport velocity and amounts of transported proteins in rat sciatic motoneurons. Female rats were subjected to a progressive running-training program for 10-12 wk. Twenty-four hours after the last training session, rats underwent right L4-L5 dorsal root ganglionectomy. The next day, 20 microCi of [3H]leucine was injected bilaterally in the vicinity of the motoneuronal cell bodies supplying the sciatic nerve, to study axonal transport parameters. Results showed that peak and average transport velocities of labeled proteins were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased by 22 and 29%, respectively, in the deafferented nerves of the runners as compared with controls. Moreover, the amount of total transported protein-bound radioactivity was increased in both left (40%) and right (37%) sciatic nerves of the runners. An exhaustive exercise session reduced (P less than 0.05) peak displacement (8%) and total transported protein-bound radioactivity (36%) in the sciatic nerves of control rats, whereas no changes were noticed in trained animals. The data suggest that chronic endurance running induces significant adaptations in the fast axonal transport of labeled proteins.

Intramuscular nerves in motor neurone disease. A quantitative ultrastructural study

The ultrastructure of human intramuscular nerves at biopsy has been compared in motor neurone disease with that in other neuromuscular disease including muscular dystrophy and in controls. Myelinated axons appeared to be lost in control patients aged over 50 years, but this varied both between and within nerve fascicles. Even in two boys aged 3 1/2 and 9 years, but with Duchenne's dystrophy, examples were found of nerve fascicles with few or no axons. In motor neurone disease additional nerve fibres were lost, but there was little change in the size distributions of axons and myelin sheaths within the muscle. In both preterminal and terminal fascicles there was an increase of Schwann cell cytoplasm in association with unmyelinated axons, which was compatible with nerve sprouting. It is concluded that intramuscular nerves are likely to be lost with age as well as motor neurone disease. The results are discussed in relation to the stage of the disease process at biopsy.