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MATHEW PIASECKI's Outputs (45)

DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19 (2024)
Journal Article
Gupta, A., Nicholas, R., McGing, J. J., Nixon, A. V., Mallinson, J. E., McKeever, T. M., Bradley, C. R., Piasecki, M., Cox, E. F., Bonnington, J., Lord, J. M., Brightling, C. E., Evans, R. A., Hall, I. P., Francis, S. T., Greenhaff, P. L., & Bolton, C. E. (2024). DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19. Experimental Physiology, 109(8), 1274-1291. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep091590

We evaluated the impacts of COVID-19 on multi-organ and metabolic function in patients following severe hospitalised infection compared to controls. Patients (n = 21) without previous diabetes, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease were recruited... Read More about DYNamic Assessment of Multi‐Organ level dysfunction in patients recovering from COVID‐19: DYNAMO COVID‐19.

Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults (2024)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Jones, E. J., Škarabot, J., Inns, T. B., Phillips, B. E., Atherton, P. J., & Piasecki, M. (2024). Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults. GeroScience, 46, 3249-3261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01063-w

Although muscle atrophy may partially account for age-related strength decline, it is further influenced by alterations of neural input to muscle. Persistent inward currents (PIC) and the level of common synaptic inputs to motoneurons influence neuro... Read More about Common synaptic inputs and persistent inward currents of vastus lateralis motor units are reduced in older male adults.

The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hospitalised adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (2023)
Journal Article
Alqurashi, H. B., Robinson, K., O’Connor, D., Piasecki, M., Gladman, J. R. F., Gordon, A. L., & Masud, T. (2023). The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hospitalised adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Age and Ageing, 52(12), Article afad236. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afad236

Introduction Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a treatment to prevent or reverse acquired disability in hospitalised adults. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of its effectiveness. Method We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cum... Read More about The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on hospitalised adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Menstrual Cycle Associated Alteration of Vastus Lateralis Motor Unit Function (2023)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., Guo, Y., Jones, E. J., Phillips, B. E., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., & Piasecki, M. (2023). Menstrual Cycle Associated Alteration of Vastus Lateralis Motor Unit Function. Sports Medicine - Open, 9, Article 97. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00639-8

Background: Estrogen and progesterone are the primary female sex hormones and have net excitatory and inhibitory effects, respectively, on neuronal function. Fluctuating concentrations across the menstrual cycle has led to several lines of research i... Read More about Menstrual Cycle Associated Alteration of Vastus Lateralis Motor Unit Function.

Acute adaptation of central and peripheral motor unit features to exercise‐induced fatigue differs with concentric and eccentric loading (2023)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Guo, Y., Martinez‐Valdes, E., Negro, F., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., …Piasecki, M. (2023). Acute adaptation of central and peripheral motor unit features to exercise‐induced fatigue differs with concentric and eccentric loading. Experimental Physiology, 108(6), 827-837. https://doi.org/10.1113/EP091058

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Conflicting evidence exists on motor unit (MU) firing rate in response to exercise‐induced fatigue, possibly due to the contraction modality used: Do MU properties adapt similarly following co... Read More about Acute adaptation of central and peripheral motor unit features to exercise‐induced fatigue differs with concentric and eccentric loading.

Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound repeatability for the measurement of skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow (2023)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Atherton, P. J., Piasecki, M., & Phillips, B. E. (2023). Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound repeatability for the measurement of skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow. Experimental Physiology, 108(4), 549-553. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep091034

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used to directly assess skeletal muscle perfusion. However, its repeatability over time has not yet been validated and therefore its use in longitudinal measures (i.e., exploring the impact of a chronic inte... Read More about Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound repeatability for the measurement of skeletal muscle microvascular blood flow.

Motor unit dysregulation following 15 days of unilateral lower limb immobilisation (2022)
Journal Article
Inns, T. B., Bass, J. J., Hardy, E. J., Wilkinson, D. J., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Motor unit dysregulation following 15 days of unilateral lower limb immobilisation. Journal of Physiology, 600(21), 4753-4769. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp283425

Abstract: Disuse atrophy, caused by situations of unloading such as limb immobilisation, causes a rapid yet diverging reduction in skeletal muscle function when compared to muscle mass. While mechanistic insight into the loss of mass is well studied,... Read More about Motor unit dysregulation following 15 days of unilateral lower limb immobilisation.

Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability (2022)
Journal Article
Ely, I. A., Jones, E. J., Inns, T. B., Dooley, S., Miller, S. B. J., Stashuk, D. W., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability. Experimental Physiology, https://doi.org/10.1113/EP090367

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? Can bilateral knee extensor force accuracy be improved following 4 weeks of unilateral force accuracy training and are there any subsequent alterations to central and/or peripheral motor unit... Read More about Training-induced improvements in knee extensor force accuracy are associated with reduced vastus lateralis motor unit firing variability.

Ageing and exercise-induced motor unit remodelling (2022)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Chiou, S. Y., Atherton, P. J., Phillips, B. E., & Piasecki, M. (2022). Ageing and exercise-induced motor unit remodelling. Journal of Physiology, 600(8), 1839-1849. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281726

A motor unit (MU) comprises the neuron cell body, its corresponding axon and each of the muscle fibres it innervates. Many studies highlight age-related reductions in the number of MUs, yet the ability of a MU to undergo remodelling and to expand to... Read More about Ageing and exercise-induced motor unit remodelling.

Neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex (2022)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Jones, E. J., Inns, T. B., Ely, I. A., Stashuk, D. W., Wilkinson, D. J., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex. Acta Physiologica, 235(2), Article e13803. https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.13803

Aim: Despite males typically exhibiting greater muscle strength and fatigability than females, it remains unclear if there are sex-based differences in neuromuscular recruitment strategies e.g. recruitment and modulation of motor unit firing rate (MU... Read More about Neuromuscular recruitment strategies of the vastus lateralis according to sex.

Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men (2021)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Piasecki, J., Swiecicka, A., Ireland, A., Phillips, B. E., Atherton, P. J., …Piasecki, M. (2022). Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men. GeroScience, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-021-00482-3

Long-term exercise training has been considered as an effective strategy to counteract age-related hormonal declines and minimise muscle atrophy. However, human data relating circulating hormone levels with motor nerve function are scant. The aims of... Read More about Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men.

Motor Unit Remodelling (2021)
Book Chapter
Kirk, B., & Piasecki, M. (2021). Motor Unit Remodelling. In A. J. Cruz-Jentoft, & J. E. Morley (Eds.), Sarcopenia (35-44). (Second Edition). Wiley

Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (2021)
Journal Article
Ellwood, R. A., Piasecki, M., & Szewczyk, N. J. (2021). Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(9), Article 4891. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094891

The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to enhance our understanding of the human neuromuscular disorder Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). With new arising clinically relevant models, technologies and treatments, there is... Read More about Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Atrophy Resistant vs. Atrophy Susceptible skeletal muscles: “aRaS” as a novel experimental paradigm to study the mechanisms of human disuse atrophy (2021)
Journal Article
Hardy, E., Inns, T., Wilkinson, D., Piasecki, M., Atherton, P., Phillips, B., …Smith, K. (2021). Atrophy Resistant vs. Atrophy Susceptible skeletal muscles: “aRaS” as a novel experimental paradigm to study the mechanisms of human disuse atrophy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 653060. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.653060

Objective: Disuse atrophy (DA) describes inactivity-induced skeletal muscle loss, through incompletely defined mechanisms. An intriguing observation is that individual muscles exhibit differing degrees of atrophy, despite exhibiting similar anatomica... Read More about Atrophy Resistant vs. Atrophy Susceptible skeletal muscles: “aRaS” as a novel experimental paradigm to study the mechanisms of human disuse atrophy.

Lifelong exercise is associated with more homogeneous motor unit potential features across deep and superficial areas of vastus lateralis (2021)
Journal Article
Jones, E. J., Piasecki, J., Ireland, A., Stashuk, D. W., Atherton, P. J., Phillips, B. E., …Piasecki, M. (2021). Lifelong exercise is associated with more homogeneous motor unit potential features across deep and superficial areas of vastus lateralis. GeroScience, 43(4), 1555-1565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-021-00356-8

Motor unit (MU) expansion enables rescue of denervated muscle fibres helping to ameliorate age-relatedmuscle atrophy, with evidence to suggest master athletes are more successful at this remodelling. Electrophysiological data has suggested MUs locate... Read More about Lifelong exercise is associated with more homogeneous motor unit potential features across deep and superficial areas of vastus lateralis.

Near-Fiber Electromyography (2021)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Garnés-Camarena, O., & Stashuk, D. W. (2021). Near-Fiber Electromyography. Clinical Neurophysiology, 132(5), 1089-1104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2021.02.008

Objective

Describe and evaluate the concepts of near fiber electromyography (NFEMG), the features used, including near fiber motor unit potential (NFMUP) duration and dispersion, which relate to motor unit distal axonal branch and muscle fiber con... Read More about Near-Fiber Electromyography.

Factors associated with electrical stimulation‐induced performance fatigability are dependent upon stimulation location (2021)
Journal Article
Inns, T. B., McCormick, D., Greig, C. A., Atherton, P. J., Phillips, B. E., & Piasecki, M. (2021). Factors associated with electrical stimulation‐induced performance fatigability are dependent upon stimulation location. Experimental Physiology, 106(4), 828-836. https://doi.org/10.1113/ep089204

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is increasingly viewed as a central tenet to minimise muscle loss during periods of disuse/illness – typically applied directly over a muscle belly. Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is afforded less atten... Read More about Factors associated with electrical stimulation‐induced performance fatigability are dependent upon stimulation location.

Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model (2021)
Journal Article
Ellwood, R. A., Hewitt, J. E., Torregrossa, R., Philp, A. M., Hardee, J. P., Hughes, S., …Szewczyk, N. J. (2021). Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(9), Article e2018342118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018342118

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness due to mutations in the dystrophin gene. The symptoms of DMD share similarities with those of accelerated aging. Recentl... Read More about Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model.

Molecular and neural adaptations to neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Implications for ageing muscle (2020)
Journal Article
Guo, Y., Phillips, B. E., Atherton, P. J., & Piasecki, M. (2021). Molecular and neural adaptations to neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Implications for ageing muscle. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 193, Article 111402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111402

One of the most notable effects of ageing is an accelerated decline of skeletal muscle mass and function, resulting in various undesirable outcomes such as falls, frailty, and all-cause mortality. The loss of muscle mass directly leads to functional... Read More about Molecular and neural adaptations to neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Implications for ageing muscle.

Influence of sex on the age‐related adaptations of neuromuscular function and motor unit properties in elite masters athletes (2020)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., Inns, T. B., Bass, J. J., Scott, R., Stashuk, D. W., Phillips, B. E., …Piasecki, M. (2021). Influence of sex on the age‐related adaptations of neuromuscular function and motor unit properties in elite masters athletes. Journal of Physiology, 599(1), 193-205. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp280679

Motor unit (MU) remodelling acts to minimise loss of muscle fibres following denervation in older age, which may be more successful in masters athletes. Evidence suggests performance and neuromuscular function decline with age in this population, alt... Read More about Influence of sex on the age‐related adaptations of neuromuscular function and motor unit properties in elite masters athletes.

Near Fibre Electromyography (2020)
Preprint / Working Paper
Piasecki, M., C Estruch, O. G., & Stashuk, D. W. Near Fibre Electromyography

Near fibre electromyography (NFEMG) is the use of specifically high-pass filtered motor unit potential (MUPs) (i.e. near fibre MUPs (NFMs)) extracted from needle-detected EMG signals for the examination of changes in motor unit (MU) morphology and el... Read More about Near Fibre Electromyography.

Absence of an ageing‐related increase in fibre type grouping in athletes and non‐athletes (2020)
Journal Article
Messa, G. A., Piasecki, M., Rittweger, J., McPhee, J. S., Koltai, E., Radak, Z., …Degens, H. (2020). Absence of an ageing‐related increase in fibre type grouping in athletes and non‐athletes. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 30(11), 2057-2069. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13778

The ageing‐related loss of muscle mass is thought to be partly attributable to motor neuron loss and motor unit remodelling that result in fibre type grouping. We examined fibre type grouping in 19‐ to 85‐year‐old athletes and non‐athletes and evalua... Read More about Absence of an ageing‐related increase in fibre type grouping in athletes and non‐athletes.

Targeted genotype analyses of GWAS-derived lean body mass and handgrip strength-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in elite masters athletes (2020)
Journal Article
Crossland, H., Piasecki, J., McCormick, D., Phillips, B. E., Wilkinson, D. J., Smith, K., …Atherton, P. J. (2020). Targeted genotype analyses of GWAS-derived lean body mass and handgrip strength-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in elite masters athletes. AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 319(2), R184-R194. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00110.2020

Recent large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have independently identified a set of genetic loci associated with lean body mass (LBM) and handgrip strength (HGS). Evaluation of these candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may be usef... Read More about Targeted genotype analyses of GWAS-derived lean body mass and handgrip strength-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms in elite masters athletes.

Relationship of anabolic hormones with motor unit characteristics in quadriceps muscle in healthy and frail ageing men (2020)
Journal Article
Swiecicka, A., Piasecki, M., Stashuk, D., Jones, D., Wu, F., McPhee, J., & Rutter, M. K. (2020). Relationship of anabolic hormones with motor unit characteristics in quadriceps muscle in healthy and frail ageing men. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 105(7), https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa100

Context
Anabolic hormones are important factors in maintaining muscle mass for ageing men, but their role in overall motor unit structure and function is unclear.

Objective
To determine associations of anabolic and reproductive hormone levels wi... Read More about Relationship of anabolic hormones with motor unit characteristics in quadriceps muscle in healthy and frail ageing men.

The impact of a high-fat diet in mice is dependent on duration and age, and differs between muscles (2020)
Journal Article
Messa, G. A. M., Piasecki, M., Hurst, J., Hill, C., Tallis, J., & Degens, H. (2020). The impact of a high-fat diet in mice is dependent on duration and age, and differs between muscles. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223(6), Article jeb.217117. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.217117

© 2020. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. Prolonged high-fat diets (HFDs) can cause intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) accumulation that may negatively affect muscle function. We investigated the duration of a HFD required to instigate these cha... Read More about The impact of a high-fat diet in mice is dependent on duration and age, and differs between muscles.

Comparison of Muscle Function, Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition of Early Starting and Later Starting Older Masters Athletes (2019)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., Ireland, A., Piasecki, M., Deere, K., Hannam, K., Tobias, J., & McPhee, J. S. (2019). Comparison of Muscle Function, Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition of Early Starting and Later Starting Older Masters Athletes. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, Article 1050. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.01050

© 2019 Piasecki, Ireland, Piasecki, Deere, Hannam, Tobias and McPhee. Masters endurance runners can epitomize healthy aging; being reflective of the physiological processes of aging without the compounded effects of inactivity. The primary aim of the... Read More about Comparison of Muscle Function, Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition of Early Starting and Later Starting Older Masters Athletes.

Morphological alterations of mouse skeletal muscles during early ageing are muscle specific (2019)
Journal Article
Messa, G., Piasecki, M., Hill, C., McPhee, J., Tallis, J., & Degens, H. (2019). Morphological alterations of mouse skeletal muscles during early ageing are muscle specific. Experimental Gerontology, 125, Article 110684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2019.110684

© 2019 Elsevier Inc. One of the hallmarks of ageing is muscle wasting that may be preceded by morphological changes, such as capillary rarefaction. Muscle-specific changes in morphology in early ageing may differ between locomotor and respiratory mus... Read More about Morphological alterations of mouse skeletal muscles during early ageing are muscle specific.

Long-Term Endurance and Power Training May Facilitate Motor Unit Size Expansion to Compensate for Declining Motor Unit Numbers in Older Age (2019)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Ireland, A., Piasecki, J., Degens, H., Stashuk, D. W., Swiecicka, A., …McPhee, J. S. (2019). Long-Term Endurance and Power Training May Facilitate Motor Unit Size Expansion to Compensate for Declining Motor Unit Numbers in Older Age. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, Article 449. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2019.00449

© 2019 Frontiers Media S.A. All Rights Reserved. The evidence concerning the effects of exercise in older age on motor unit (MU) numbers, muscle fiber denervation and reinnervation cycles is inconclusive and it remains unknown whether any effects are... Read More about Long-Term Endurance and Power Training May Facilitate Motor Unit Size Expansion to Compensate for Declining Motor Unit Numbers in Older Age.

Soluble factors released from activated T-lymphocytes regulate C2C12 myoblast proliferation and cellular signalling, but effects are blunted in the elderly (2018)
Journal Article
Al-Dabbagh, S., McPhee, J. S., Piasecki, M., Stewart, C. E., & Al-Shanti, N. (2019). Soluble factors released from activated T-lymphocytes regulate C2C12 myoblast proliferation and cellular signalling, but effects are blunted in the elderly. Journals of Gerontology, Series A, 74(9), 1375–1385. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly238

The key objective of this work was to investigate the impact of young and old human lymphocyte secretomes on C2C12 myoblasts regeneration. Conditioned media (CMs) were harvested from isolated young and older lymphocytes treated with (activated AC), o... Read More about Soluble factors released from activated T-lymphocytes regulate C2C12 myoblast proliferation and cellular signalling, but effects are blunted in the elderly.

The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function: measurement and physiology of muscle fibre atrophy and muscle fibre loss in humans (2018)
Journal Article
Wilkinson, D. J., Piasecki, M., & Atherton, P. J. (2018). The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function: measurement and physiology of muscle fibre atrophy and muscle fibre loss in humans. Ageing Research Reviews, 47, 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2018.07.005

Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, sarcopenia, is associated with physical frailty and increased risk of morbidity (chronic diseases), in addition to all-cause mortality. The loss of muscle mass occurs incipiently from middle-age... Read More about The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function: measurement and physiology of muscle fibre atrophy and muscle fibre loss in humans.

Hip and spine bone mineral density are greater in master sprinters, but not endurance runners compared with non-athletic controls (2018)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., McPhee, J., Hannam, K., Deere, K., Elhakeem, A., Piasecki, M., Degens, H., Tobias, J., & Ireland, A. (2018). Hip and spine bone mineral density are greater in master sprinters, but not endurance runners compared with non-athletic controls. Archives of Osteoporosis, 13, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-018-0486-9

Summary: We examined bone density in older athletes and controls. Sprinters had greater hip and spine bone density than endurance athletes and controls, whereas values were similar in the latter two groups. These results could not be explained by dif... Read More about Hip and spine bone mineral density are greater in master sprinters, but not endurance runners compared with non-athletic controls.

Handgrip strength cannot be assumed a proxy for overall muscle strength (2018)
Journal Article
Yeung, S. S., Reijnierse, E. M., Trappenburg, M. C., Hogrel, J.-Y., McPhee, J. S., Piasecki, M., Sipila, S., Salpakoski, A., Butler-Browne, G., Pääsuke, M., Gapeyeva, H., Narici, M. V., Meskers, C. G., & Maier, A. B. (2018). Handgrip strength cannot be assumed a proxy for overall muscle strength. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 19(8), 703-709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2018.04.019

Objectives: Dynapenia, low muscle strength, is predictive for negative health outcomes and is usually expressed as handgrip strength (HGS). Whether HGS can be a proxy for overall muscle strength and whether this depends on age and health status is co... Read More about Handgrip strength cannot be assumed a proxy for overall muscle strength.

Failure to expand the motor unit size to compensate for declining motor unit numbers distinguishes sarcopenic from non-sarcopenic older men (2018)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Ireland, A., Piasecki, J., Stashuk, D., Swiecicka, A., Rutter, M., Jones, D., & McPhee, J. (2018). Failure to expand the motor unit size to compensate for declining motor unit numbers distinguishes sarcopenic from non-sarcopenic older men. Journal of Physiology, 596(9), https://doi.org/10.1113/JP275520

Sarcopenia results from the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and reduced function in older age. It is likely to be associated with the well‐documented reduction of motor unit numbers innervating limb muscles and the increase in size of surviv... Read More about Failure to expand the motor unit size to compensate for declining motor unit numbers distinguishes sarcopenic from non-sarcopenic older men.

The contributions of fiber atrophy, fiber loss, in situ specific force, and voluntary activation to weakness in sarcopenia (2018)
Journal Article
McPhee, J. S., Cameron, J., Maden-Wilkinson, T., Piasecki, M., Yap, M. H., Jones, D. A., & Degens, H. (2018). The contributions of fiber atrophy, fiber loss, in situ specific force, and voluntary activation to weakness in sarcopenia. Journals of Gerontology, Series A, 73(10), 1287-1294. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly040

The contributions of fiber atrophy, fiber loss, in situ specific force, and voluntary activation to weakness in sarcopenia remain unclear. To investigate, 40 older (20 women; age 72 ± 4 years) and 31 younger adults (15 women, age 22 ± 3 years) comple... Read More about The contributions of fiber atrophy, fiber loss, in situ specific force, and voluntary activation to weakness in sarcopenia.

The strength of weight-bearing bones is similar in amenorrheic and eumenorrheic elite long-distance runners (2018)
Journal Article
Piasecki, J., Ireland, A., Piasecki, M., Cameron, J., McPhee, J. S., & Degens, H. (2018). The strength of weight-bearing bones is similar in amenorrheic and eumenorrheic elite long-distance runners. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 28(5), 1559-1568. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13062

Regular intense endurance exercise can lead to amenorrhea with possible adverse consequences for bone health. We compared whole body and regional bone strength and skeletal muscle characteristics between amenorrheic (AA: n = 14) and eumenorrheic (EA:... Read More about The strength of weight-bearing bones is similar in amenorrheic and eumenorrheic elite long-distance runners.

The reliability of methods to estimate the number and size of human motor units and their use with large limb muscles (2018)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Ireland, A., Piasecki, J., Stashuk, D., McPhee, J., & Jones, D. (2018). The reliability of methods to estimate the number and size of human motor units and their use with large limb muscles. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(4), 767-775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3811-5

Purpose

Current methods for estimating muscle motor unit (MU) number provide values which are remarkably similar for muscles of widely differing size, probably because surface electrodes sample from similar and relatively small volumes in each mus... Read More about The reliability of methods to estimate the number and size of human motor units and their use with large limb muscles.

Measurement of muscle health in aging (2017)
Journal Article
Francis, P., Lyons, M., Piasecki, M., Mc Phee, J., Hind, K., & Jakeman, P. (2017). Measurement of muscle health in aging. Biogerontology, 18(6), 901-911. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-017-9697-5

Muscle health is a critical component in the struggle against physical frailty and the efforts to maintain metabolic health until the limit of chronological age. Consensus opinion is to evaluate muscle health in terms of muscle mass, strength and fun... Read More about Measurement of muscle health in aging.

Motor unit number estimates and neuromuscular transmission in the tibialis anterior of master athletes: evidence that athletic older people are not spared from age-related motor unit remodeling (2016)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Ireland, A., Coulson, J., Stashuk, D. W., Hamilton-Wright, A., Swiecicka, A., …Jones, D. A. (2016). Motor unit number estimates and neuromuscular transmission in the tibialis anterior of master athletes: evidence that athletic older people are not spared from age-related motor unit remodeling. Physiological Reports, 4(19), Article e12987. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12987

Muscle motor unit numbers decrease markedly in old age, while remaining motor units are enlarged and can have reduced neuromuscular junction transmission stability. However, it is possible that regular intense physical activity throughout life can at... Read More about Motor unit number estimates and neuromuscular transmission in the tibialis anterior of master athletes: evidence that athletic older people are not spared from age-related motor unit remodeling.

A robust neuromuscular system protects rat and human skeletal muscle from sarcopenia (2016)
Journal Article
Pannérec, A., Springer, M., Migliavacca, E., Ireland, A., Piasecki, M., Karaz, S., …Feige, J. N. (2016). A robust neuromuscular system protects rat and human skeletal muscle from sarcopenia. Aging, 8(4), 712-728. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.100926

Declining muscle mass and function is one of the main drivers of loss of independence in the elderly. Sarcopenia is associated with numerous cellular and endocrine perturbations, and it remains challenging to identify those changes that play a causal... Read More about A robust neuromuscular system protects rat and human skeletal muscle from sarcopenia.

Sex differences in the effects of 12 weeks sprint interval training on body fat mass and the rates of fatty acid oxidation and VO2max during exercise (2016)
Journal Article
Bagley, L., Slevin, M., Bradburn, S., Liu, D., Murgatroyd, C., Morrissey, G., …McPhee, J. S. (2016). Sex differences in the effects of 12 weeks sprint interval training on body fat mass and the rates of fatty acid oxidation and VO2max during exercise. BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 2(1), Article e000056. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2015-000056

Age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis: age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis (2015)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Ireland, A., Stashuk, D., Hamilton-Wright, A., Jones, D., & McPhee, J. (2016). Age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis: age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis. Journal of Physiology, 594(16), 4525-4536. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp271087

The anterior thigh muscles are particularly susceptible to muscle loss and weakness during ageing, although how this is associated with changes to neuromuscular structure and function in terms of motor unit (MU) number, size and MU potential (MUP) st... Read More about Age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis: age-related neuromuscular changes affecting human vastus lateralis.

Age-dependent motor unit remodelling in human limb muscles (2015)
Journal Article
Piasecki, M., Ireland, A., Jones, D. A., & McPhee, J. S. (2016). Age-dependent motor unit remodelling in human limb muscles. Biogerontology, 17(3), 485-496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-015-9627-3

Voluntary control of skeletal muscle enables humans to interact with and manipulate the environment. Lower muscle mass, weakness and poor coordination are common complaints in older age and reduce physical capabilities. Attention has focused on ways... Read More about Age-dependent motor unit remodelling in human limb muscles.

Nutritional status, body composition, and quality of life in community-dwelling sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic older adults: a case-control study (2015)
Journal Article
Verlaan, S., Aspray, T. J., Bauer, J. M., Cederholm, T., Hemsworth, J., Hill, T. R., …Brandt, K. (2017). Nutritional status, body composition, and quality of life in community-dwelling sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic older adults: a case-control study. Clinical Nutrition, 36(1), 267-274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2015.11.013

© 2015 The Authors Background & aim Sarcopenia, the age-related decrease in muscle mass, strength, and function, is a main cause of reduced mobility, increased falls, fractures and nursing home admissions. Cross-sectional and prospective studies indi... Read More about Nutritional status, body composition, and quality of life in community-dwelling sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic older adults: a case-control study.