Age-related differences in the response of leg muscle cross-sectional area and water diffusivity measures to a period of supine rest

Object The object was to assess whether cross-sectional area (CSA) and water diffusion properties of leg muscles in young and older women change with increased time spent in supine rest.Materials and methodsHealthy young (n = 9, aged 20–30 years) and older (n = 9, aged 65–75 years) women underwent MRI scanning of the right leg at baseline, 30 and 60 min of supine rest. Muscle CSA was derived from proton density images. Water diffusion properties [apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA)] of the tibialis anterior and posterior, soleus, and medial and lateral heads of the gastrocnemius were derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Repeated measures ANOVAs and Bonferroni post hoc tests determined the effects of time and group on each muscle outcome.ResultsIn both groups, muscle CSA and FA did not significantly change over time, whereas ADC significantly decreased. A greater decline at 30 min for young women was only observed for ADC in the medial gastrocnemius.ConclusionRegardless of age, ADC values decreased with fluid shift associated with time spent supine, whereas CSA and FA were not affected. For leg muscle assessment in young and older women, DTI scanning protocols should consider the amount of time spent in a recumbent position.