Vibration, motor deficit, and the effect of ageing on muscle function

Abstract

Mechanical vibrations are common in today’s world. Studies have claimed that vibration training can enhance skeletal muscle performance and might be a useful therapy for sarcopenia, the age-related degeneration of muscle function and mass. Others, however, report debilitating consequences following excessive vibration exposure, such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. Further to this ambiguity, few studies have explored the function of skeletal muscles during vibration. Animal models are integral to furthering our understanding of the effects of vibration, and while efforts to reduce the use of vertebrate models are increasing, invertebrates may prove to be valuable alternatives.

The contractile dynamics of the locust’s metathoracic extensor tibiae muscle were compared to the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles of C57 mice and then subjected to acute vibration, during which their contraction dynamics were analysed. The influence of sensory feedback, stimulus phase, vibration frequency and amplitude on the locust extensor tibiae muscle’s function were also analysed. Additionally, the effects of locust age on its behaviour, extensor tibiae muscle function and response to vibration were studied to determine whether it may provide insights into sarcopenia.

The locust’s extensor tibiae muscle demonstrated higher peak forces than both murine muscles, but its force-frequency relationship showed a greater resemblance to that of the soleus muscle. The function of the extensor tibiae and soleus muscles were dependent on stimulus phase, frequency and amplitude of vibration treatments, and sensory feedback was shown to reduce the impact of vibration on the locust muscle. No behavioural changes or decreases in the extensor tibiae muscle’s mass were found in ageing locusts, but age-dependent variations in its contractile function and the neuromuscular response to vibration were measured.

This work suggests that both vertebrate and invertebrate muscle function are compromised during vibration, and additional work utilising the locust as a model may further our understanding of the effects of vibration and ageing on the neuromuscular system.

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ORCID for Emiliano Rustighi: orcid.org/0000-0001-9871-7795

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