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Bruce M Damon

Publications and source records attributed to Bruce M Damon.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Physiological basis of muscle functional MRI: predictions using a computer model.

Muscle functional MRI (mfMRI) has been proposed as a tool for noninvasively measuring the metabolic and hemodynamic responses to muscle activation, but its theoretical basis remains unclear. One challenge is that it is difficult to isolate individually those variables affecting the magnitude and temporal pattern of the mfMRI response. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a computer model of how physiological factors altered during exercise affect the mfMRI signal intensity time course and then predict the contributions made by individual factors. A model muscle containing 39,204 fibers was defined. The fiber-type composition and neural activation strategies were designed to represent isometric contractions of the human anterior tibialis muscle, for which published mfMRI data exist. Sustained isometric contractions at 25 and 40% maximum voluntary contraction were modeled, as were the vascular (capillary recruitment, blood oxygen extraction) and metabolic (lactate accumulation, phosphocreatine hydrolysis, pH) responses. The effects on the transverse relaxation of MRI signal were estimated, and the mfMRI signal intensity time course was measured from simulated images. The model data agreed well qualitatively with published experimental data, and at long exercise durations the quantitative agreement was also good. The model was then used to predict that NMR relaxation effects secondary to blood volume and oxygenation changes, plus the creatine kinase reaction, dominate the mfMRI time course at short exercise durations (up to approximately 45 s) and that effects secondary to glycolysis are the main contributors at later times.

Animals↗

Cluster analysis of muscle functional MRI data.

Muscle functional magnetic resonance imaging (mfMRI) is frequently used to determine spatial patterns of muscle involvement in exercising humans. A frequent finding in mfMRI is that, even within synergistic muscle groups, signal intensity (SI) data from individual voxels can be quite heterogeneous. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel method for organizing heterogeneous mfMRI data into clusters whose members behave similarly to each other but distinctly from members of other clusters and apply it in studies of functional compartmentalization in the anterior compartment of the leg. An algorithm was developed that compared the SI time courses of adjacent voxels and grouped together voxels that were sufficiently similar. The algorithm's performance was verified by using simulated data sets with known regional differences in SI time courses that were then applied to experimental mfMRI data acquired from six male subjects (age 22.6 +/- 0.9 yr, mean +/- SE) who sustained isometric contractions of the dorsiflexors at 40% of maximum voluntary contraction. The experimental data were also characterized by using a traditional analysis (user-specified regions of interest from a single image), in which the relative change in SI and the contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR; 100%x(SI(RESTING) - SI(ACTIVE)/(noise standard deviation)] were measured. In general, clusters were found in areas in which the CNR exceeded 5. Cluster analysis made functional distinctions between regions of muscle that were not seen with traditional analysis. In conclusion, cluster analysis's use of the full SI time course provides more sensitivity to muscle functional compartmentation than traditional analysis.

Adult↗

The carnosine C-2 proton's chemical shift reports intracellular pH in oxidative and glycolytic muscle fibers.

The appearance of new peaks in the 7.7-8.6 and 6.8-7.4 ppm regions of the postexercise (1)H spectrum of frog muscle is reported. These new peaks result from the splitting of single pre-exercise carnosine C-2 and C-4 peaks into two peaks, representing the intracellular pH (pH(I)) of oxidative and glycolytic fibers. The following data support this conclusion: 1) comparison of means and regression analysis indicates equivalence of the pH(I) measurements by (1)H and (31)P NMR; 2) the pre- and poststimulation concentrations of carnosine are equal; 3) in ischemic rat hindlimb muscles, the presence of a single, more acidic peak in the plantaris; a single, less acidic peak in the soleus; and two peaks (more and less acidic) in the gastrocnemius correspond to published values for the fiber-type composition of these muscles; and 4) in muscles treated with iodoacetate prior to and during stimulation, a second peak never appears. These data indicate that it is feasible to measure separately the pH(I) of oxidative and glycolytic fibers using (1)H NMR spectroscopy.

Animals↗

Comparison of MRI with EMG to study muscle activity associated with dynamic plantar flexion.

This study compared magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surface electromyography (EMG) to evaluate the effect of knee angle upon plantar flexion activity in the triceps surae muscles [medial & lateral gastrocnemius (MG, LG) and the soleus (SOL)]. Two weight & height matched groups performed identical protocols, twelve (6M, 6F) in the MRI group, twelve (8M, 4F) in the EMG group. Subjects plantar flexed dynamically for 2 min at 25% of 1-repetition maximum voluntary contraction (1-RM). Exercise was performed with the knee extended (0 degrees flexion), flexed (90 degrees ), and partially flexed (45 degrees ). In the MRI group spin-echo images were acquired before and immediately following each exercise session. T(2) times, calculated at rest and after exercise by fitting the echoes to a monoexponential decay pattern with a least-squares algorithm, were compared with EMG data. In the EMG group a bipolar electrode was used to collect samples were from the MG, LG, SOL, and anterior tibialis (TA) during exercise at each knee angle, MRI also examined the peroneus (PER). At 0 degrees flexion MRI demonstrated a significant post-exercise T(2) increase in the MG (p < or = 0.001), LG (p < or = 0.001), and PER (p < or = 0.01), with no T(2) change in the SOL or TA. At 90 degrees flexion there was a significant T(2) increase in the SOL (p < or = 0.001) with no significant T(2) change in the MG, LG, PER, or TA. At 45 degrees T(2) increased significantly in the SOL (p < or = 0.001) and LG (p < or = 0.05), but not the MG, PER, or TA. EMG produced similar results with the exception that there was significant activity in the TA during the relaxation cycle of the 90 degrees protocol. We conclude that: 1) Soleus activity is measurable by MRI; and 2) MRI and EMG produce similar results from different physiological sources, and are therefore complementary tools for evaluating muscle activity.

Adult↗

Intracellular acidification and volume increases explain R(2) decreases in exercising muscle.

Exercise-induced decreases in the (1)H transverse relaxation rate (R(2)) of muscle have been well documented, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, the hypothesis was tested that R(2) decreases could be explained by pH decreases and apparent intracellular volume (V(i)') increases. (31)P and (1)H spectroscopy, biexponential R(2) analysis, and imaging were performed prior to and following fatiguing exercise in iodoacetate-treated (IAA, to inhibit glycolysis), NaCN-treated (to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation), and untreated frog gastrocnemii. In all exercised muscles, the apparent intracellular R(2) (R(2i)') and pH decreased, while intracellular osmolytes and V(i)' increased. These effects were larger in NaCN-treated and untreated muscles than in IAA-treated muscles. Multiple regression analysis showed that pH and V(i)' changes explain 70% of the R(2i)' variance. Separate experiments in unexercised muscles demonstrated causal relationships between pH and R(2i)' and between V(i)' and R(2i)'. These data indicate that the R(2) change of exercise is primarily an intracellular phenomenon caused by the accumulation of the end-products of anaerobic metabolism. In the NaCN-treated and untreated muscles, the R(2i)' change increased as field strength increased, suggesting a role for pH-modulated chemical exchange.

Animals↗

Validation of diffusion tensor MRI-based muscle fiber tracking.

Diffusion-tensor (DT) MRI fiber tracking may potentially be used for in vivo structural analysis. The purpose of this study was to assess quantitatively the ability of a DT-MRI fiber-tracking algorithm to measure the fiber orientation (pennation) in skeletal muscle in vivo. In five adult Sprague-Dawley rats, the pennation angle (theta) was measured in the rat lateral gastrocnemius with DT-MRI (theta(DT-MRI)) and by direct anatomical inspection (DAI) (theta(DAI)). The mean theta(DT-MRI) was not significantly different from the mean theta(DAI). In addition, the two methods were highly correlated (r = 0.89) and the regression of theta(DT-MRI) on theta(DAI) resulted in a slope not significantly different from 1 and an intercept not significantly different from zero. These data indicate that DT-MRI-based fiber tracking as implemented here is a valid tool for in vivo structural analysis of small-animal skeletal muscle.

Animals↗

Early postexercise muscle glycogen recovery is enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement.

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a carbohydrate-protein (CHO-Pro) supplement would be more effective in the replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise compared with a carbohydrate supplement of equal carbohydrate content (LCHO) or caloric equivalency (HCHO). After 2.5 +/- 0.1 h of intense cycling to deplete the muscle glycogen stores, subjects (n = 7) received, using a rank-ordered design, a CHO-Pro (80 g CHO, 28 g Pro, 6 g fat), LCHO (80 g CHO, 6 g fat), or HCHO (108 g CHO, 6 g fat) supplement immediately after exercise (10 min) and 2 h postexercise. Before exercise and during 4 h of recovery, muscle glycogen of the vastus lateralis was determined periodically by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Exercise significantly reduced the muscle glycogen stores (final concentrations: 40.9 +/- 5.9 mmol/l CHO-Pro, 41.9 +/- 5.7 mmol/l HCHO, 40.7 +/- 5.0 mmol/l LCHO). After 240 min of recovery, muscle glycogen was significantly greater for the CHO-Pro treatment (88.8 +/- 4.4 mmol/l) when compared with the LCHO (70.0 +/- 4.0 mmol/l; P = 0.004) and HCHO (75.5 +/- 2.8 mmol/l; P = 0.013) treatments. Glycogen storage did not differ significantly between the LCHO and HCHO treatments. There were no significant differences in the plasma insulin responses among treatments, although plasma glucose was significantly lower during the CHO-Pro treatment. These results suggest that a CHO-Pro supplement is more effective for the rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise than a CHO supplement of equal CHO or caloric content.

Adult↗