Muscular training through localized in vivo electrical stimulations.

In vivo electrical stimulations were applied to the gastrocnemius muscles of intact frogs for prolonged periods which lead to improved muscular efficiency and delayed onset of fatigue. The muscular strength improvement was correlated to increased tissue contractile proteins and decreased collagen content. Elevated levels of muscular fuels, mitochondrial content, oxidative metabolism in the stimulated muscles were suggested to be responsible for the delayed onset of fatigue. In view in these characteristics regarding the improvement at physical and metabolic levels, the muscles exposed to chronic electrical stimulations were termed as trained muscles. The applicability of electrical stimulations to induce the training effects into the muscles in atrophic and dystrophic conditions to avert the muscle wastings was suggested.

Pattern of skeletal muscle chemical composition during in vivo electrical stimulations.

Electrical stimulations of low voltage, frequency and short duration of time are suitable for amphibian muscle to induce localized muscular exercise in an intact animal. The pattern of changes in the muscle chemical components on chronic exposure to repeated electrical stimulations suggested the onset of regulation on muscle metabolism leading to carbohydrate sparing process and muscular hypertrophy. The applicability of this procedure to prevent the muscle wasting in atrophic and dystrophic muscles is suggested.