Fallers MRI Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of association between slow muscle fibres of calf and postural integrity between elderly fallers and non fallers using MRI techniques - a proof of concept study
IRAS ID
161179
Contact name
Phyo K Myint
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Falls are common in the elderly and are a major cause of hospital admission, institutionalisation, morbidity and mortality. Risk factor identification and modification, by appropriate intervention, can prevent some types of falls. Gait and balance disturbance is common in older people and contributes significantly to fall risk, with sarcopenia (loss of muscle bulk) being a well recognised risk factor. Skeletal muscle consists of two main muscle types (Type I and Type II), with metabolic, structural and functional differences between these muscle fibre types. Type I fibres which are known as slow muscle fibres are important in maintaining balance and predominate in some muscles of the leg (e.g. soleus, one of the calf muscles). Type II fibres are more important in generating strength and power. There is also evidence of plasticity between these fibre types. The number and proportion of fibre types vary with age and physical activity. This may be implicated in causes of falls and success of rehabilitation programmes after a fall to prevent further events. Currently, it is not known if there are differences in leg muscle fibres between elderly people with falls compared to those without falls. Diffusion and transverse relaxation time mapping magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are non-invasive methods which indirectly indicate the distribution of type I and II muscle fibres based on dimensional and vascular characteristics. This proof of concept study will investigate the muscle microstructure and the proportion of Type I and II fibres in the calf muscles among elderly subjects with falls compared to those without falls, using MRI techniques along with other physiological and muscle mass measurements by DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scanning. To our knowledge, this will be the first study to explore the association between structure and mass of slow muscle fibres of leg and falls.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
15/NS/0005
Date of REC Opinion
23 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion