According to a team of researchers at the University of Maine, muscular dystrophy is a debilitating disease that causes weakness and rupture of skeletal muscles that deteriorate over time. A study published in the journal ELife says that certain activities can help strengthen muscles affected by muscular dystrophy – and they found that by stimulating zebrafish and watching them workout.Also read – Here are 4 essential tips for boosting and strengthening the immune system, the nutritionist suggests
There is an effective test model of muscular dystrophy due to the molecular similarities between zebrafish and human muscles. Zebrafish can also be bred with mutations that closely model Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a severe type of muscular dystrophy that affects young boys. Also read – Why do you find it difficult to exercise again after a break? Everything about the ‘vital protein’ that is holding you back
However, zebrafish cannot lift weights, so UMaine researchers used a procedure called neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), which stimulates certain nerves to contract muscles. The researchers designed four NMES regiments and named them after four common weightlifting routines: Power, Strength, Hypertrophy and Stamina. Also read – Viral video: A man was seen hanging from a balcony on the 12th floor in Faridabad while exercising, causing a stir on the internet. Watch
The zebrafish were then placed in a 3D printed “gym” underwater made of tunnels and electrodes, and the researchers analyzed their skeletal muscles to see how they changed.
The study found that while each NMES weightlifting “routine” affected zebrafish neuromuscular junction morphology, swimming, and survival differently, there was only one – endurance neuromuscular stimulation (eNMES) – to the extent that it improved. Have. An antioxidant, heme oxygenase and a receptor called integrin alpha 7.
“ENMES is defined by a high-frequency, low-voltage pulse, which is similar to the high-repetition, low-weight workout we will do in this. The long-standing consensus in the field of muscular dystrophy is that reducing resistance training maintains muscle strength and mass as it reduces the risk of muscle damage. However, our data suggest that certain levels of NMES-induced activity are actually beneficial for overall muscle health, “says Elizabeth Kilroy, the first author of the study who did research for her PhD at UMaine. MOVR).
Research suggests that appropriate type of immune training may be beneficial for human patients with muscular dystrophy. NMES also has the potential to improve mobility and strength in patients with muscular dystrophy, although little is known about applying the technology in this way.
“I think the most exciting aspect is that we’ve established a model for neuromuscular plasticity in healthy versus diseased muscle, and this model will allow us to explain methods that could be the basis for potential future therapies,” says Clarissa Henry, Professor. Director of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences and Engineering and Principal Director of Henry Labs.
(With ANI inputs)
