This is a prime example of the principle known as “use it or lose it” in the neuroscience world - if you do not use your neuronal connections, you will lose them. The number of synapses at the neuromuscular junction can decrease because your nervous system "thinks" that you do not need those connections anymore. This decreased neural drive is how your gluteal muscles “forget” how to activate. If you sit most of the day, the synaptic connections between your nervous system and gluteal muscles will begin to die off. Neuronal connections at the NMJ do not survive if they are not adequately stimulated with novel, and challenging, experiences. Using energy to support synaptic contacts that are not really needed by the body is not something that the nervous system is typically wired to do. Here again, this is because the nervous system is very efficient and economical. sedentary lifestyle, cast immobilization, etc.), neural connections to that muscle begin to diminish. When a muscle is not used for whatever reason (e.g. Thus, after time, these muscles become susceptible to overuse injuries. helpers) are not built to complete the task of another muscle. As discussed throughout this series, synergist muscles (i.e. However, weak glutes may cause your nervous system to recruit your low back or hamstring muscles to complete the task. For example, when standing up from a chair, your gluteal muscles should activate in order to extend your hips. Regarding gluteal amnesia, when your gluteal muscles are weaker than normal, it can cause you to move your body in ways that are not necessarily natural or functional. This can be very confusing for your nervous system and could result in denervation to certain muscles, while increasing innervation to other muscles (recall, your nervous system will not use energy to maintain pathways that it does not think you need). For example, with dysfunctional movement, prime movers (such as the glutes in certain hip movements) may be slow to activate, while synergists (such as the hamstrings) may incorrectly activate first to complete the movement of the hip. Flawed movement patterns can actually alter the firing order of the muscles in complex movements. posture during movement) can interfere with neuromuscular signaling as well. Conversely, neuromuscular plasticity also suggests that neural connections to the gluteal muscles can improve with the right stimulation, such as exercise and muscle use. If this denervation occurs, it can be challenging to correctly and efficiently activate the gluteal muscles, and it also can stimulate atrophy pathways in the gluteal muscle cells (see part III for more information on this). lose neural connections) as a result of pain, poor posture, and/or lack of use. In the case of gluteal amnesia, neuroplasticity suggests that the gluteal muscles could become denervated (i.e. Your nervous system is actually quite plastic and is constantly changing to adapt to the stimuli it is experiencing. However, this line of thinking has been disproven repeatedly. Decades ago, the current thinking was that your nervous system was relatively static and would not change. Your synapses, including the NMJ, undergo constant change and remodeling (generally referred to as "neuromuscular plasticity") in response to the demands placed upon it. Conversely, if your nervous system deems certain neural connections to be important, not only will it use energy to maintain those connections, but it will also use energy to increase the number of neural connections present, known as innervation. If neural connections are not needed, the nervous system will not continue to maintain those pathways and connections, causing denervation, or a loss of nerve supply. Your nervous system is also very efficient in the connections it makes to muscles, glands, and other neurons. sedentary lifestyle, stress, alcohol, sleep deprivation, etc.). exercise, learning something new, etc.), whereas fewer neurons are produced in response to "unhealthy" behaviors (e.g. New neurons (and subsequently the connections they make) tend to be produced in response to experiences that are often considered “healthy” (e.g. Your nervous system is quite plastic, meaning that it can, and does, change in response to the input it receives. Before we dive deeper into things, let's chat briefly about how the human nervous system generally works.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |