As people age, however, the neuromuscular synapses can deteriorate in several ways. Nerves can shrink, failing to cover the muscle's receptors completely.
The resulting interference with transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles can result in wasting and eventually even death of muscle fibers.
This muscle wasting, called sarcopenia, is a common and significant clinical problem in the elderly.
The new work showed that mice on a restricted-calorie diet largely avoid that age-related deterioration of their neuromuscular junctions, while those on a one-month exercise regimen when already elderly partially reverse the damage.
"With calorie restriction, we saw reversal of all aspects of the synapse disassembly. With exercise, we saw a reversal of most, but not all," Sanes said.
The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source-ANI