Researchers identify nerve–muscle communication failure that may cause age-related muscle weakness

The useful part

Getty Images) Share this Article Facebook Twitter Reddit Email You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. The researchers also identified a protein that could be targeted to improve muscle strength, offering hope for those who have assumed a decline in muscle strength is simply an inevitable part of aging. "While the human lifespan has increased in recent decades, our ultimate goal at Mizzou is to ensure a person's health span remains as high as possible for as long as possible," Arnold, a professor in the School of Medicine, says.

How it works

• Researchers have also studied the loss of neurons that send messages telling muscles to move.
• Arnold's research found that this communication becomes less effective with age due to reduced levels of a protein called NaV1.4.
• "And what is perhaps even more exciting is that we showed this failure is potentially reversible.
• By partially inhibiting ClC-1, we were able to make aging muscles more responsive to nerve signals and improve muscle strength in an animal model.
• "That curiosity sparked my interest in becoming a researcher." The study appears in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

What to take from it

Scientists have long sought to understand what causes muscles to weaken as people age. One theory has focused on changes happening within the muscles themselves, most notably the loss of muscle mass. For more than a decade, Arnold has studied the neuromuscular junction—the point where a nerve communicates with a muscle to make it contract.

Example or evidence

• "We identified an important point of failure at the final step in communication between nerves and muscles," Arnold says.
• In collaboration with NMD Pharma, a biotechnology company in Denmark, we applied an approach they developed that targets a protein called ClC-1.
• Arnold is optimistic that ignaseclant could eventually help older adults with sarcopenia.
• "I realized that in order to make a drug widely available to treat sarcopenia, the first step is better understanding what is causing sarcopenia in the first place," Arnold says.

Details worth keeping

Discovery could help older adults maintain muscle strength. Science Health Culture Environment 1790347940 (Credit: Topic --> --> Tags muscles University University of Missouri A groundbreaking discovery could help older adults maintain the muscle strength they need to stay active and independent, whether that means safely crossing the street or playing with their grandchildren.

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• Science Daily: A newly identified breakdown in communication between nerves and muscles could help explain why people lose strength as they age.