Motor Learning in the Community-dwelling Elderly during Nordic Backward Walking.

[PURPOSE] THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE: 1) to confirm the motion learning process of Nordic backward walking (NBW) in older adult community-dwelling volunteers and, 2) to check the change in psychological condition resulting from NBW. This study examined whether the learning process and psychological condition become more efficient after repeated sessions of NBW. [Methods] The subjects were 19 community-dwelling elderly individuals between the ages of 64 and 78 years. [Results] Significant differences in walking speed during NBW were only found between the first and second sessions and between the second and third sessions. The walking speed in the sixth session, measured one hour after the fifth session, was decreased in comparison with that in the fifth session. Significant differences in stride length during NBW were only found between the first and second sessions and between the second and third sessions. The stride length in the sixth session, measured one hour after the fifth session, was decreased in comparison with that in the fifth session. Significant differences in VAS score (sense of fear) after NBW were found for each session. VAS score for the sixth session, measured one hour after the fifth session, was decreased in comparison with that for the fifth session. [Conclusions] The findings in the present study suggest that NBW is indeed a novel task and that motor learning occurs as a result of practice, leading to a more efficient recruitment of motor units.

Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Activity during Slow Breathing in Supine Position.

The purpose of this study is to clarify cardiac autonomic nervous system activity during slow breathing exercises in a supine position. Eighteen healthy young males were participated. Heart rate variability was measured for 5 minutes at rest, 5 minutes at slow breathing, and then 5 minutes at rest. As a result, the LF/HF ratio increased with slow breathing, but HF value did not change. We suggest that the increased LF/HF ratio may be due to increased airway resistance. Cardiac autonomic nervous system activity during slow breathing in the supine position was revealed.

Effectiveness of Moderate Intensity Interval Training as an Index of Autonomic Nervous Activity.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of moderate intensity interval training from the change of the autonomic nervous activity. Ten male volunteers aged 21-22 years were studied. After 10-minute rest in a seated position, the subjects were asked to perform the strength of moderate cycling exercise in ergometer. Cycling rate was done in 50 times/min. Load resistance of the ergometer was set to 2.0 kgm. Subjects paused the exercise when the heart rate becomes 120 beats/min. Subjects have resumed the exercise when the heart rate returns to the value at rest. This trial was repeated twice. The experiment was ended when the heart rate of the subjects has returned to resting level. When the heart rate during exercise is maintained to less than 120 beats/min, sympathetic nerve activity during exercise did not work actively compared to the baseline. Vagus nerve activity after exercise cessation exceeds the baseline. It is clarified that the exercise as well as activating the vagus nerve activity stimulates the total autonomic nervous activity. It has revealed that at the time of interval training at moderate load the vagus nerve activity can be carried out.

Comparison of sarcomere alterations after muscle contraction and tension loading in the rat soleus muscle.

Muscle contraction induced by 30 min of continuous nerve stimulation at 50 Hz resulted in sarcomere changes of the soleus muscle in the rat in our previous study. To further investigate the cause of sarcomere alterations, the sciatic nerve was electrically stimulated intermittently for 30 min. Nerve stimulation was also conducted after cutting the tendons of the soleus, gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles in order to prevent imposing tension on these muscles as a result to their own contractions. In addition, the muscles were pulled by weights via their tendons to load high tension for 30 min without nerve stimulation. Sarcomere alterations immediately after treatments were quantified by electron microscopy. The percentages of aberrant sarcomere areas of the soleus muscle were 25.7 +/- 16.4% (mean +/- SD) in the group of intermittent nerve stimulation with intact tendons and 21.1 +/- 35.4% in the group of tenotomy and continuous nerve stimulation, which were roughly equal to or more severe than the group of continuous nerve stimulation with intact tendons (18.8 +/- 15.8%) in our previous study. Sarcomere alterations consisted mainly of hypercontraction in these groups. Almost all sarcomere changes in the tension-loaded (pulled) soleus muscles were scarce myofilaments (1.7 +/- 1.0% by 600 g; 4.5 +/- 2.9% by 1200 g), and hypercontraction was not observed. These findings indicate that neither high tension nor a decrease of muscle blood flow during continuous contraction seems to be the primary cause of sarcomere alterations in the present study. There are probably other causes that produce aberrant sarcomeres.

Ischemic injury and repair process after transection in hypothyroid rat muscles.

Hindlimb ischemia for 4 h, followed by reperfusion, resulted in necrosis of most soleus muscle in euthyroid rats, whereas only slight damage occurred in hypothyroid rats. Muscle repair after transection of the tibialis anterior muscle of hypothyroid rats showed delayed debris removal, initial retardation of myotube formation, and a higher incidence of aberrant sarcomeres in newly formed muscle fibers by electron microscopy. The protective mechanism against ischemia in hypothyroid muscles can probably be attributed to decreased degradation of high-energy phosphates, reduced formation of substrates for xanthine oxidase during ischemia, and attenuated generation of harmful oxygen free radicals during reperfusion. Initial delay of myotube formation seems to reflect retarded proliferation of muscle precursor cells. Prolonged occurrence of aberrant sarcomeres in hypothyroidism is perhaps due to a delay or imbalance in the synthesis of proteins that assemble sarcomeres. These findings demonstrate the significant roles of thyroid hormones in ischemic injury and muscle repair.