Physiological control of muscle mass in humans during resistance exercise, disuse and rehabilitation

The preservation of skeletal muscle mass is central to maintaining mobility and quality of life with aging and also impacts on our capacity to recover from illness. However, our understanding of the processes that regulate muscle mass in humans during exercise, chronic disuse and rehabilitation remains unclear. This brief review aims to highlight some of the more recent and important findings concerning these physiological stimuli.

Although several studies have detailed the molecular events that occur following an acute bout of resistance exercise, a paucity of data appears to remain concerning the molecular and signaling events that underpin resistance exercise training. Reports of increased transcripts for inflammatory proteins following eccentric but not concentric exercise could represent the stimulus for the instigation of structural adaptations that occur following intense muscle lengthening contractions. Studies investigating processes underlying disuse-induced muscle atrophy provide initial evidence to support the notion that transient increases in muscle protein degradation occur following the onset of muscle disuse in humans.

The need for further studies to improve our basic understanding of muscle-associated processes in humans remains, particularly in relation to the temporal changes in muscle processes that occur during resistance training.