HOME

Class Schedule

 

Bioen 599 F, Autumn 2000 Bioengineering Principles of Physiology

Lecture Material and Notes

Week 10, Lecture 28: Plasticity and adaptation
Michael Regnier

Lecture theme and outline: How does muscle adapt to changes in use? What are the limits of these changes? Within the framework of genetic constraints, exercise and disuse are the best illustrations of the plasticity of the neuromuscular system. Adaptations to work load and intensity include muscular hypertrophy, changes in whole muscle contractile mechanics/kinetics and metabolic machinery, and tuning of muscle recruitment patterns. Feedback is the principle behind 'use it or lose it'.

Reading:

  1. (Handout). Andersen, Schjerling and Saltin. Muscle, Genes and Athletic Performance. Sci. Am. Sept. 2000.
  2. (Handout). Pette, D. & Vrbova, G. What does chronic electrical stimulation teach us about muscle plasticity? Muscle and Nerve, 22:666-677, 1999.

 BACK TO TOP

 Last Updated:

11/29/00

Contact the instructor at: mregnier@u.washington.edu