Exploring the link between the nervous system and age-related muscle loss
Sarcopenia is an age-related condition characterised by progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. It’s linked to falls, fractures and loss of independence as well as many common diseases, such as motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.
Sarcopenia is an age-related condition characterised by progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. It’s linked to falls, fractures and loss of independence as well as many common diseases, such as motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.
Research on sarcopenia to date has focused on exploring muscle impairments. But Dr Lucas Orssatto thinks the nervous system, which controls how our muscles function, could play a significant role in the decline of strength and physical function that occurs with sarcopenia.
Through an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, he is seeking to understand the nervous system as it relates to sarcopenia. As part of this research, he will also explore whether people with a long-term history of participation in exercise (i.e. masters athletes), have healthier nervous systems, and whether this explains their better physical function, compared with people who have been diagnosed with sarcopenia.
“Ultimately, we hope to unravel some of the underlying nervous system control mechanisms that might explain the loss of mass, strength and physical function in people with sarcopenia, and how these are enhanced in masters athletes.”
He is conducting non-invasive assessments of nervous system function on older adults using advanced techniques like high-density electromyography and mathematical algorithms. He will compare the assessments of sarcopenic people with both healthy older adults and masters athletes to understand how properties of the nervous system controlling the muscles differ between these groups.
Dr Orssatto hopes his research could lead to the development of new tests for diagnosis in clinical settings as well as treatments that target nervous system function to help manage sarcopenia.
“Understanding these mechanisms and developing robust diagnosis tests can lead us to better strategies – whether it’s exercise, nutrition or pharmacological – to alleviate the debilitating effects of sarcopenia and improve older adults’ quality of life,” he said.
