The second research area is skeletal muscle adaptation to bone lengthening procedures. Insufficient muscle adaptation is thought to cause complications during bone lengthening procedures. We are examining methods for increasing the rate of adding sarcomeres in series in muscle undergoing lengthening. Nitric oxide inhibits calpain-mediated talin proteolysis in skeletal muscle cells. Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors reduce sarcomere addition in rat skeletal muscle.
Excursion is important in regulating sarcomere number in the growing rabbit tibialis anterior.
Eccentric training does not increase sarcomere number in rabbit dorsiflexor muscles. Traditionally, studies on motor behavior have focused on the neurophysiological, biomechanical and behavioral aspects of motor control. However, recent advances in the molecular genetics of neurological disorders have identified specific gene mutations that result in different movement disorders. This has generated enormous research interest in the emerging field of molecular motor control. Motor activity involves complex functional interactions between the motor areas of the brain, peripheral motor neurons and the skeletal muscle fibers that they innervate.