Overloading a muscle does not alter the rate of motoneuronal loss in aged rats

Effects of increased activity on neuronal cell death was investigated in the motor nuclei innervating normal and overloaded medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscles of Fischer 344 rats. The MG muscle was overloaded by the unilateral surgical ablation of synergists at the age of 17 months (group A) or 24 months (group B). When the rats reached the age of 24 and 28 months (group A) or 30 months (group B), motoneurons innervating the MG muscle were labeled bilaterally with horseradish peroxidase injected into the MG nerve. The wet weight of the muscle on the operated side was consistently heavier than that of the contralateral, intact side. The number of labeled neurons decreased with advancing age, and there was no difference in the magnitude of decline found between motor nuclei innervating intact and hypertrophied muscles. Thus, overloading the MG muscle did not retard or accelerate the age-related loss of motoneurons innervating this muscle. These findings indicate that the causal relationship between motoneuronal activity and death with advancing age needs to be studied further.