Leader: Alessandro Sale (CNR); Other collaborator(s):
We plan to investigate how physical activity affects the trajectories of neuromuscular aging. Individuals aged 25-80 + years will be studied, stratified according to the level of physical activity (number of daily steps) and sarcopenic profile (according to the 2021 EWGSOP2 sarcopenia definition) . Biomarkers will be evaluated for: 1) stability of the neuromuscular junction, NMJ (c-terminal agrin fragment, serum), 2) axonal integrity (neurofilament light chain, serum), 3) denervation in muscle micro-samples (25mg): neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), voltage-gated sodium channel (NAV1.5), 4) expression of genes involved in NMJ integrity through RNA sequencing, 5) NMJ transmission efficiency ( by intramuscular EMG): Jiggle and Jitter, number and size of motor units, frequency of motor unit discharge and recruitment threshold, 6) dynamic balance, 7) muscle strength (handgrip and quadriceps) and walking speed, 8) muscle mass and architecture through DEXA and ultrasound.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results: The Task performed the following activities:
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications: The results achieved may have immediate implications for human health, qualifying as a strategy to contain the prevalence of forms of dementia linked to ageing. This may have a strong impact on the costs that the national and regional health system must bear for the management of various forms of dementia.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
1. Procedures for the recruitment of four research grant holders is ongoing. Two research fellows have been recruited.
2. Two classes of elderly patients, one presenting with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and one with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) have been selected and completed 7 months of cognitive-motor training. The enrollment of a second class of patients with SCD that will start training in September is ongoing.
3. The set up of a murine model of early cognitive decline resembling human SCD is ongoing.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
1. A second class of patients with SCD started training in September.
2. The set up of artificial intelligence strategies for behavioral analysis (DeepLabCut) to study cognitive decline in longitudinally observed murine models.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results:
1. A second class of patients with SCD underwent cognitive training in September.
2. A longitudinal study with wild type murine models are ongoing to study cognitive decline through behavioral analysis with artificial intelligence (DeepLabCut).
Scientific papers:
Di Marco I, Sansevero G, Berardi N, Sale A. Acceleration of spontaneous visual recovery by voluntary physical
exercise in adolescent amblyopic rats. Front Cell Neurosci. 2024 Dec 20;18:1519197.
Abstract to national/international conferences: