The Structural Adaptations that Mediate Disuse-Induced Atrophy of Skeletal Muscle

The maintenance of skeletal muscle mass plays a fundamental role in health and issues associated with quality of life. Mechanical signals are one of the most potent regulators of muscle mass, with a decrease in mechanical loading leading to a decrease in muscle mass. This concept has been supported by a plethora of of human- and animal-based studies during the last 100 years and has resulted in the commonly used term of “disuse atrophy”. These same studies have also provided a great deal of insight into the structural adaptations that mediate disuse-induced atrophy. For instance, disuse results in radial atrophy of fascicles, and this is driven, at least in part, by radial atrophy of the muscle fibers. However, the ultrastructural adaptations that mediate these changes remain far from defined. Indeed, even the most basic questions, such as whether the radial atrophy of muscle fibers is driven by the radial atrophy of myofibrils and/or myofibril hypoplasia, have yet to be answered. In this review, we thoroughly summarize what is known about the macroscopic, microscopic, and ultrastructural adaptations that mediated disuse-induced atrophy and highlight some of the major gaps in knowledge that need to be filled.