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Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles

Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscle cells, also called muscle fibers, are distinctly elongated, multi-nucleated, slender biological units. They are packed with specialized structures designed to facilitate their primary function, which is contraction.
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...

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Updated: Sep 1, 2025

Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Disease

Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Disease

Published on: December 18, 2016

Possibility for Visualizing the Muscle Microstructure by q-Space Imaging Technique.

Yasushi Sera¹, Daisuke Nakashima², Junichi Hata³

¹Institute for Integrated Sports Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Applied Bionics and Biomechanics

|August 18, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Q-space imaging (QSI) noninvasively assesses skeletal muscle microstructure, revealing muscle fiber size and training adaptations. This technique offers a biopsy alternative for sports and clinical research.

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Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Disease

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Published on: December 18, 2016

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Published on: November 27, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Musculoskeletal Imaging
Sports Science

Background:

Skeletal muscle microstructure evaluation traditionally relies on invasive biopsy.
Noninvasive methods are needed for sports science and clinical musculoskeletal research.
Q-space imaging (QSI) is a novel technique for assessing tissue microstructure.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if QSI can noninvasively reveal human skeletal muscle microstructure.
To correlate QSI-derived metrics with muscle characteristics in different populations.
To explore QSI's potential for detecting changes due to growth and training.

Main Methods:

Cross-sectional study involving 43 Japanese subjects (controls, distance runners, powerlifters, teenage runners).
Lower leg magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using QSI.
Measurement of full width at half maximum (FWHM) for muscle cell diameter and pennation angle (PA).

Main Results:

FWHM positively correlated with PA, indicating a link to muscle strength.
FWHM values varied across groups (powerlifters > controls > distance runners > teenagers), suggesting influence of muscle cell diameter.
Differences in FWHM potentially reflect muscle fiber enlargement from growth and training.

Conclusions:

QSI can noninvasively depict skeletal muscle microstructure, including fiber type and size.
QSI may detect subtle microstructural changes related to growth and athletic training.
This technique offers a promising alternative to muscle biopsy for research and clinical applications.