Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 7, 2026

Decellularization-Based Quantification of Skeletal Muscle Fatty Infiltration
Published on: June 9, 2023
Age-related morphological changes of the deltoid muscle from 50 to 79 years of age
G Fayet1, A Rouche, J Y Hogrel
1INSERM U 523, Institut de Myologie, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris, France.
Abstract:
A quantitative analysis of deltoid muscle biopsy specimens was performed by light microscopy in 26 males and 25 females aged 50-79 years without known neuromuscular disease. Muscle fibre size, fibre type distribution and increase in mitochondrial content in muscle fibres were examined using a semi-automatic image analysis system. This study showed significant age- and gender-related differences. In females, there was marked atrophy of type II fibres with increasing age, specially of type IIb fibres, but no significant change in muscle fibre type distribution. In males, there was diminution in the relative proportion of type IIb fibres with increasing age but no significant muscle fibre atrophy. Mitochondrial aggregates increased with age, and this increase was observed earlier in females than in males. The gender-related morphological changes observed in the present study differ somewhat from those reported in the literature. The differences between males and females may be partially related to gender differences in muscular activity and may reflect an earlier decline in deltoid muscle strength in females. The existence of these age and gender changes should be taken into account in the interpretation of muscle biopsies of aged individuals.
More Related Videos
10:10Preparation and Culture of Myogenic Precursor Cells/Primary Myoblasts from Skeletal Muscle of Adult and Aged Humans
Published on: February 16, 2017
14:10Isometric and Eccentric Force Generation Assessment of Skeletal Muscles Isolated from Murine Models of Muscular Dystrophies
Published on: January 31, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Muscles of the Shoulder
Anterior Thoracic Muscles
The anterior thoracic muscles include the serratus anterior, subclavius, and...
Cross-bridge Cycle
Cellular Adaptation II: Hypertrophy
Cellular Adaptation I: Introduction and Atrophy