1
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Blazevich AJ, Fletcher JR. More than energy cost: multiple benefits of the long Achilles tendon in human walking and running. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:2210-2225. [PMID: 37525526 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Elastic strain energy that is stored and released from long, distal tendons such as the Achilles during locomotion allows for muscle power amplification as well as for reduction of the locomotor energy cost: as distal tendons perform mechanical work during recoil, plantar flexor muscle fibres can work over smaller length ranges, at slower shortening speeds, and at lower activation levels. Scant evidence exists that long distal tendons evolved in humans (or were retained from our more distant Hominoidea ancestors) primarily to allow high muscle-tendon power outputs, and indeed we remain relatively powerless compared to many other species. Instead, the majority of evidence suggests that such tendons evolved to reduce total locomotor energy cost. However, numerous additional, often unrecognised, advantages of long tendons may speculatively be of greater evolutionary advantage, including the reduced limb inertia afforded by shorter and lighter muscles (reducing proximal muscle force requirement), reduced energy dissipation during the foot-ground collisions, capacity to store and reuse the muscle work done to dampen the vibrations triggered by foot-ground collisions, reduced muscle heat production (and thus core temperature), and attenuation of work-induced muscle damage. Cumulatively, these effects should reduce both neuromotor fatigue and sense of locomotor effort, allowing humans to choose to move at faster speeds for longer. As these benefits are greater at faster locomotor speeds, they are consistent with the hypothesis that running gaits used by our ancestors may have exerted substantial evolutionary pressure on Achilles tendon length. The long Achilles tendon may therefore be a singular adaptation that provided numerous physiological, biomechanical, and psychological benefits and thus influenced behaviour across multiple tasks, both including and additional to locomotion. While energy cost may be a variable of interest in locomotor studies, future research should consider the broader range of factors influencing our movement capacity, including our decision to move over given distances at specific speeds, in order to understand more fully the effects of Achilles tendon function as well as changes in this function in response to physical activity, inactivity, disuse and disease, on movement performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Blazevich
- Centre for Human Performance, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jared R Fletcher
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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2
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Sorrentino R, Carlson KJ, Orr CM, Pietrobelli A, Figus C, Li S, Conconi M, Sancisi N, Belvedere C, Zhu M, Fiorenza L, Hublin JJ, Jashashvili T, Novak M, Patel BA, Prang TC, Williams SA, Saers JPP, Stock JT, Ryan T, Myerson M, Leardini A, DeSilva J, Marchi D, Belcastro MG, Benazzi S. Morphological and evolutionary insights into the keystone element of the human foot's medial longitudinal arch. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1061. [PMID: 37857853 PMCID: PMC10587292 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05431-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) is one of the most impactful adaptations in the hominin foot that emerged with bipedalism. When and how it evolved in the human lineage is still unresolved. Complicating the issue, clinical definitions of flatfoot in living Homo sapiens have not reached a consensus. Here we digitally investigate the navicular morphology of H. sapiens (living, archaeological, and fossil), great apes, and fossil hominins and its correlation with the MLA. A distinctive navicular shape characterises living H. sapiens with adult acquired flexible flatfoot, while the congenital flexible flatfoot exhibits a 'normal' navicular shape. All H. sapiens groups differentiate from great apes independently from variations in the MLA, likely because of bipedalism. Most australopith, H. naledi, and H. floresiensis navicular shapes are closer to those of great apes, which is inconsistent with a human-like MLA and instead might suggest a certain degree of arboreality. Navicular shape of OH 8 and fossil H. sapiens falls within the normal living H. sapiens spectrum of variation of the MLA (including congenital flexible flatfoot and individuals with a well-developed MLA). At the same time, H. neanderthalensis seem to be characterised by a different expression of the MLA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Sorrentino
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
| | - Kristian J Carlson
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90033, USA
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, WITS 2050, South Africa
| | - Caley M Orr
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, 80217, USA
| | - Annalisa Pietrobelli
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy
| | - Carla Figus
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, 48121, Italy
| | - Shuyuan Li
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Michele Conconi
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Health Sciences and Technologies, Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research (HST-ICIR), University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy
| | - Nicola Sancisi
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Health Sciences and Technologies, Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research (HST-ICIR), University of Bologna, Bologna, 40136, Italy
| | - Claudio Belvedere
- Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Functional Evaluation of Prostheses, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mingjie Zhu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Luca Fiorenza
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Chaire Internationale de Paléoanthropologie, CIRB (UMR 7241-U1050), Collège de France, Paris, France
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Tea Jashashvili
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90033, USA
- Department of Geology and Paleontology, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, 0105, Georgia
| | - Mario Novak
- Centre for Applied Bioanthropology, Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Biren A Patel
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90033, USA
- Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089, USA
| | - Thomas C Prang
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Scott A Williams
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, WITS 2050, South Africa
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, 10003, USA
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Wits, 2050, South Africa
| | - Jaap P P Saers
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2333, CR, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jay T Stock
- Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Timothy Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Mark Myerson
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Alberto Leardini
- Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Functional Evaluation of Prostheses, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Jeremy DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Damiano Marchi
- Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Wits, 2050, South Africa
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, 56126, Italy
| | - Maria Giovanna Belcastro
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy
| | - Stefano Benazzi
- Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, 48121, Italy
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3
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Sakuraya T, Sekiya SI, Emura K, Sonomura T, Hirasaki E, Arakawa T. Comparison of the soleus and plantaris muscles in humans and other primates: Macroscopic neuromuscular anatomy and evolutionary significance. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:386-400. [PMID: 35655371 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In humans, the soleus is more developed compared to other primates and has a unique architecture composed of anterior bipennate and posterior unipennate parts, which are innervated by different nerve branches. The anterior part of the human soleus was proposed to be important for bipedalism, however, the phylogenetic process resulting in its acquisition remains unclear. Providing insights into this process, the anterior part of the soleus was suggested to be closely related to the plantaris based on the branching pattern of their nerve fascicles. To reveal the phylogeny of the soleus and plantaris in primates, the innervation patterns of the posterior crural muscles were compared among a wide range of species. From their branching pattern, posterior crural muscles could be classified into superficial and deep muscle groups. The anterior part of the soleus and plantaris both belonged to the deep muscle group. In all the examined specimens of ring-tailed lemurs and chimpanzees, as well as in one out of two specimens of siamang, the nerve branches corresponding to those innervating the anterior part of the human soleus were found. The muscular branches innervating the anterior part of the soleus and plantaris formed a common trunk or were connected in all the specimens. These results indicate that the anterior part of the soleus is closely related to the plantaris across different species of primates. In turn, this suggests that the anterior part of the soleus is maintained among primates, and especially in humans, where it develops as the characteristic bipennate structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tohma Sakuraya
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, Division of Oral Structure, Function and Development, Asahi University School of Dentistry, Mizuho, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Sekiya
- Faculty of Nursing, Niigata College of Nursing, Joetsu, Japan.,Department of Zoology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kenji Emura
- Faculty of Health Care Sciences, Himeji Dokkyo University, Himeji, Japan
| | - Takahiro Sonomura
- Department of Anatomy, Division of Oral Structure, Function and Development, Asahi University School of Dentistry, Mizuho, Gifu, Japan
| | - Eishi Hirasaki
- Section of Evolutionary Morphology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takamitsu Arakawa
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, Japan
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4
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Aeles J, Sarcher A, Hug F. Common synaptic input between motor units from the lateral and medial posterior soleus compartments does not differ from that within each compartment. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2023; 134:105-115. [PMID: 36454677 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00587.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The human soleus muscle is anatomically divided into four separate anatomical compartments. The functional role of this compartmentalization remains unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the common synaptic input to motor units between the medial and lateral posterior compartments is less than within each compartment. Fourteen male participants performed three different heel-raise tasks that were considered to place a different mechanical demand on the medial and lateral soleus compartments. High-density electromyography (EMG) signals from the medial and lateral soleus compartments and the medial gastrocnemius of the right leg were decomposed into individual motor unit spike trains. The coherence between cumulative spike trains of the motor units was estimated. The coherence analysis was also repeated for motor units that were matched across all three tasks. Furthermore, we calculated the ratio of significant correlations between the spike trains of pairs of motor units. We observed that the coherence between motor units of the two soleus compartments was similar as the coherence between motor units within each compartment, regardless of the task. The correlation analysis performed on pairs of motor units confirmed these results. We conclude that the level of common synaptic input between the motor units innervating the medial and lateral posterior soleus compartment is not different than the common synaptic input between motor units innervating each of these compartments, which contrasts with findings from previous studies on finger muscles. This suggests that there is no independent neural control for the individual posterior soleus compartments.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The human soleus muscle is anatomically subdivided into four compartments. The functional role for this compartmentalization remains unknown. Here, we showed that, contrary to previous findings in finger muscles, the common synaptic input between motor units innervating the medial and lateral posterior soleus compartment was similar as that between motor units within the individual compartments. We suggest that the contradictory findings with other compartmentalized muscles may be explained by differences in muscle-tendon anatomy and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen Aeles
- Movement-Interactions-Performance, MIP, Nantes Université, Nantes, France.,Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Aurélie Sarcher
- Movement-Interactions-Performance, MIP, Nantes Université, Nantes, France
| | - François Hug
- LAMHESS, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France.,School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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5
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McNutt EJ, DeSilva JM. Evidence for an elongated Achilles tendon in Australopithecus. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 303:2382-2391. [PMID: 32134211 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Modern humans have the longest Achilles tendon (AT) of all the living primates. It has been proposed that this anatomy increases locomotor efficiency and that its elongation may have played a crucial role in the origin and early evolution of the genus Homo. Unfortunately, determining the length of the AT in extinct hominins has been difficult as tendons do not fossilize. Several methods have been proposed for estimating the length of the AT from calcaneal morphology, but the results have been inconclusive. This study tested the relationship between the area of the superior calcaneal facet and AT length in extant primates. The superior facet is instructive because it anchors the retrocalcaneal bursa, a soft tissue structure which helps to reduce friction between the AT and the calcaneus. Calcanei from 145 extant anthropoid primates from 12 genera were photographed in posterior view and the relative superior facet size quantified. AT lengths were obtained from published sources. The relative area of the superior facet is predictive of AT length in primates (R2 = 0.83; p < .001) and differs significantly between the great apes and humans (p < 0.001). When applied to fossil Australopithecus calcanei, our results suggest that australopiths possessed a longer, more human-like, AT than previously thought. These findings have important implications for the locomotor capabilities of Australopithecus, including their capacity for endurance running and climbing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellison J McNutt
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jeremy M DeSilva
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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6
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Sichting F, Holowka NB, Ebrecht F, Lieberman DE. Evolutionary anatomy of the plantar aponeurosis in primates, including humans. J Anat 2020; 237:85-104. [PMID: 32103502 PMCID: PMC7309290 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The plantar aponeurosis in the human foot has been extensively studied and thoroughly described, in part, because of the incidence of plantar fasciitis in humans. It is commonly assumed that the human plantar aponeurosis is a unique adaptation to bipedalism that evolved in concert with the longitudinal arch. However, the comparative anatomy of the plantar aponeurosis is poorly known in most mammals, even among non‐human primates, hindering efforts to understand its function. Here, we review previous anatomical descriptions of 40 primate species and use phylogenetic comparative methods to reconstruct the evolution of the plantar aponeurosis and its relationship to the plantaris muscle in primates. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that the overall organization of the human plantar aponeurosis is shared with chimpanzees and that a similar anatomical configuration evolved independently in different primate clades as an adaptation to terrestrial locomotion. The presence of a plantar aponeurosis with clearly developed lateral and central bands in the African apes suggests that this structure is not prohibitive to suspensory locomotion and that these species possess versatile feet adapted for both terrestrial and arboreal locomotion. This plantar aponeurosis configuration would have been advantageous in enhancing foot stiffness for bipedal locomotion in the earliest hominins, prior to the evolution of a longitudinal arch. Hominins may have subsequently evolved thicker and stiffer plantar aponeuroses alongside the arch to enable a windlass mechanism and elastic energy storage for bipedal walking and running, although this idea requires further testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freddy Sichting
- Department of Human Locomotion, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas B Holowka
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Florian Ebrecht
- Department of Human Locomotion, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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7
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Barbera AM, Delaunay MG, Dougill G, Grant RA. Paw Morphology in the Domestic Guinea Pig (
Cavia porcellus
) and Brown Rat (
Rattus norvegicus
). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 302:2300-2310. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. Barbera
- School of Science and Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Mariane G. Delaunay
- School of Science and Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Gary Dougill
- School of Science and Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - Robyn A. Grant
- School of Science and Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
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8
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Hemingway HW, Burrows AM, Omstead KM, Zohdy S, Pastor JF, Muchlinski MN. Vertical Clinging and Leaping Ahead: How Bamboo Has Shaped the Anatomy and Physiology of Hapalemur. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 303:295-307. [PMID: 31148418 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Hapalemur sps. and Prolemur simus (bamboo lemurs, collectively) stand out from the relatively homogeneous lemurids because they are bamboo feeders and vertical clingers and leapers. This unique diet presents equally unique challenges, like its verticality, toughness, and toxicity. The bamboo lemurs share the generalized anatomy of the other lemurids, but also display some well-documented skeletal adaptations, perhaps to overcome the problems presented by their specialization. Soft-tissue adaptations, however, remain largely unexplored. Explored here are possible soft-tissue adaptations in Hapalemur griseus. We compare H. griseus with other lemurids, Propithecus, Galago, Tarsier, and a tree shrew. Based on the available anatomical and physiological data, we hypothesize that Hapalemur and Prolemur species will have differences in hindlimb morphology when compared with other lemurids. We predict that H. griseus will have more hindlimb muscle mass and will amplify muscle mass differences with increased type II muscle fibers. Relative hindlimb muscle mass in H. griseus is less than other prosimians sampled, yet relative sural muscle mass is significantly heavier (P < 0.01) in H. griseus. Results show that the soleus muscle of H. griseus has a higher amount of type II (fast) fibers in plantarflexors. These findings indicate although H. griseus shares some generalized lemurid morphology, its diet of bamboo may have pushed this generalized lemurid to an anatomical extreme. We suspect additional bamboo-specific adaptations in their anatomy and physiology will be uncovered with further examination into the anatomy of the bamboo lemurs. Anat Rec, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 303:295-307, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holden W Hemingway
- Center for Anatomical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Anne M Burrows
- Department of Physical Therapy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Kailey M Omstead
- Department of Physical Therapy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sarah Zohdy
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
| | | | - Magdalena N Muchlinski
- Center for Anatomical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas
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9
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Muchlinski MN, Hemingway HW, Pastor J, Omstead KM, Burrows AM. How the Brain May Have Shaped Muscle Anatomy and Physiology: A Preliminary Study. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:528-537. [PMID: 29418115 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2017] [Revised: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Skeletal muscle fibers are often used to evaluate functional differences in locomotion. However, because there are energetic differences among muscle fiber cells, muscle fiber composition could be used to address evolutionary questions about energetics. Skeletal muscle is composed of two main types of fibers: Type I and II. The difference between the two can be reduced to how these muscle cells use oxygen and glucose. Type I fibers convert glucose to ATP using oxygen, while Type II fibers rely primarily on anaerobic metabolic processes. The expensive tissue hypothesis (ETH) proposes that the energetic demands imposed on the body by the brain result in a reduction in other expensive tissues (e.g., gastrointestinal tract). The original ETH dismisses the energetic demands of skeletal muscle, despite skeletal muscle being (1) an expensive tissue when active and (2) in direct competition for glucose with the brain. Based on these observations we hypothesize that larger brained primates will have relatively less muscle mass and a decrease in Type I fibers. As part of a larger study to test this hypothesis, we present data from 10 species of primates. We collected body mass, muscle mass, and biopsied four muscles from each specimen for histological procedures. We collected endocranial volumes from the literature. Using immunohistochemistry, a muscle fiber composition profile was created for each species sampled. Results show that larger brained primates have less muscle and fewer Type I fibers than primates with smaller brains. Results clarify the relationship between muscle mass and brain mass and illustrate how muscle mass could be used to address energetic questions. Anat Rec, 301:528-537, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Holden W Hemingway
- Center for Anatomical Sciences, University of North Texas, Fort Worth, Texas.,Neuroscience, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Juan Pastor
- Department of Histology and Cellular Biology, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Kailey M Omstead
- Department of Physical Therapy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Anne M Burrows
- Department of Physical Therapy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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10
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Butler EE, Dominy NJ. Architecture and functional ecology of the human gastrocnemius muscle-tendon unit. J Anat 2015; 228:561-8. [PMID: 26712532 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The gastrocnemius muscle-tendon unit (MTU) is central to human locomotion. Structural variation in the human gastrocnemius MTU is predicted to affect the efficiency of locomotion, a concept most often explored in the context of performance activities. For example, stiffness of the Achilles tendon varies among individuals with different histories of competitive running. Such a finding highlights the functional variation of individuals and raises the possibility of similar variation between populations, perhaps in response to specific ecological or environmental demands. Researchers often assume minimal variation in human populations, or that industrialized populations represent the human species as well as any other. Yet rainforest hunter-gatherers, which often express the human pygmy phenotype, contradict such assumptions. Indeed, the human pygmy phenotype is a potential model system for exploring the range of ecomorphological variation in the architecture of human hindlimb muscles, a concept we review here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Butler
- Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA.,William H. Neukom Institute for Computational Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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11
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Moncayo R, Moncayo H. The WOMED model of benign thyroid disease: Acquired magnesium deficiency due to physical and psychological stressors relates to dysfunction of oxidative phosphorylation. BBA CLINICAL 2014; 3:44-64. [PMID: 26675817 PMCID: PMC4661500 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbacli.2014.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2014] [Revised: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 11/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to discern whether a relation between biochemical parameters, sonography and musculoskeletal data exists in cases of hyperthyroidism and whether they are modifiable through supplementation with selenomethionine and magnesium citrate as well as by acupuncture and manual medicine methods. RESULTS A direct correlation between whole blood selenium and serum magnesium was found in subjects without thyroid disease and in menopausal women while it was reversed in cases of thyroid diseases as well as in patients with depression, infection, and in infertile women. Vascularization indices were elevated in cases of newly diagnosed benign thyroid diseases. Musculoskeletal changes i.e. lateral tension and idiopathic moving toes, as well as situations of physical and psychological stress and minor trauma and infection led to an increase of vascularization. Magnesium levels correlated negatively with these two conditions. The supplementation brought a reduction of the vascularization indices and reduced the incidence of idiopathic moving toes. Treatment of lateral tension required manual medicine methods and acupuncture (gastrocnemius). A small subgroup of patients showed a further reduction of hyper-vascularization after receiving coenzyme Q10. CONCLUSIONS We interpret the elevated thyroid vascularization and low magnesium levels as signs of an inflammatory process related to the musculoskeletal changes. Improvement of thyroid function and morphology can be achieved after correcting the influence of stressors together with the supplementation regime. We hypothesize that the central biochemical event in thyroid disease is that of an acquired, altered mitochondrial function due to deficiency of magnesium, selenium, and coenzyme Q10.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Moncayo
- WOMED, Karl-Kapferer-Strasse 5, AT-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Helga Moncayo
- WOMED, Karl-Kapferer-Strasse 5, AT-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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12
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Griffin NL, Miller CE, Schmitt D, D'Août K. Understanding the evolution of the windlass mechanism of the human foot from comparative anatomy: Insights, obstacles, and future directions. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 156:1-10. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Revised: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L. Griffin
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology; Temple University School of Medicine; Philadelphia PA 19140
| | | | - Daniel Schmitt
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology; Duke University; NC
| | - Kristiaan D'Août
- Department of Musculoskeletal Biology; Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool; Liverpool UK
- Department of Biology; University of Antwerp, Antwerp; Belgium
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Kuo S, Desilva JM, Devlin MJ, Mcdonald G, Morgan EF. The Effect of the Achilles Tendon on Trabecular Structure in the Primate Calcaneus. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2013; 296:1509-17. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2012] [Revised: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Kuo
- Department of Anthropology; Boston University; 232 Bay State Road Boston Massachusetts
- Department of Applied Forensic Sciences; Mercyhurst University; 501 E. 38th Street Erie Pennsylvania
| | - Jeremy M. Desilva
- Department of Anthropology; Boston University; 232 Bay State Road Boston Massachusetts
| | - Maureen J. Devlin
- Department of Anthropology; University of Michigan; 1085 South University Avenue Ann Arbor Michigan
| | - Gabriel Mcdonald
- Department of Mechanical Engineering; Boston University; 110 Cummington Street Boston Massachusetts
| | - Elise F. Morgan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering; Boston University; 110 Cummington Street Boston Massachusetts
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